In today's episode, we bring back Jill MacFarlane from the Sharing Place. She is a child development specialist, and we talk all about the chaos of 2020. She shares ideas about how we can address COVID, Death, economic stress, etc. with our children. Her best tip sounds simple, but it is actually a lot harder to practice than it sounds. LISTENING. There is so much being said in our families that we miss when we are quick to respond. Reflective listening is responding and repeating without judgment. If a child says, "I'm scared." And you reply, "Oh, It sounds like you are afraid." The human psyche feels heard and almost always continues a conversation. Listening and repeating is a great way to make others feel seen and heard. Children will ask questions or make statements about things that are bothering them. When they mention feeling afraid, sad, and frustrated, we can use reflective listening to take a deeper dive and help them unpack big emotions.

We also believe that teaching children all of the different emotions and what they feel like is one of the most empowering gifts we can offer them. If a child can recognize that they are angry, we can help them process and filter that emotion. At the sharing place, there is a volcano room set aside for big emotions. It's fully padded and full of soft objects that can be thrown at the walls. Kids can jump around and release energies they have been holding in. You know it's been a good night when you can hear the volcano room's sounds throughout the house. We all need these escapes and pressure releases. So many of us have been taught to suppress and sweep away our big hard feelings. But we end up with a pile the size of a landfill, and either get sick or lose it. Emotional maturity and practicing our listening skills are the most connected ways we can show up for each other. Allowing those we love to feel safe showing us who they are, instead of who we think they should be.

The Sharing Place is having its annual Day of the Dead auction on October 24th at 6:30 pm to raise funds for the children and families that benefit from this incredible grief support. Please follow the links below to register and learn more about how you can support The Sharing Place. 

https://www.thesharingplace.org/day-of-the-dead-2020/

https://www.facebook.com/events/755954431919292/

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