Sadness, anger, hatred, disappointment, loss, shame... Understandably, as parents, we want our children to be happy. Of course. However, when this desire gets in the way of our ability to welcome our children’s uncomfortable emotions, we limit the depth, the breath, and the richness of our connection.

I think of different emotions as colours that surround us - every single one of them contributes to the fabric of our world. Similarly, every emotion contributes to the fabric of the children's lives, and they will experience all of them.

So the only real choice we have as parents - will we be there with them, holding their hands, helping them feel safe in the middle of the storm, or will we leave them to deal with those emotions on their own?

Even though it can be scary to open the door to the tangle of emotions, it helps children in many…