Parenting can feel like a series of emotional tug-of-war moments, from temper tantrums to teenage outbursts and everything in between. I encourage parents to make a transformative shift that eases these tensions: See yourself not as a “stuck” or frustrated parent but as your child’s emotional regulation coach. This perspective shift allows you to model calmness, avoid taking things too personally, and provide crucial empathy, reducing stress and your child’s reactivity.

Viewing yourself as an emotion coach redefines your role. It helps you step back from your child’s behavior, seeing their emotional outbursts not as personal attacks or failures in your parenting but as opportunities for guidance. With this shift, you create a supportive space for emotional learning and reduce the pressure to “fix” every conflict. Instead, you teach your child how to handle difficult emotions and show that you’re a safe person they can rely on.

Here’s how adopting the mindset of an emotion coach benefits you and your child, whether they’re in elementary school, high school, or adulthood.

Imagine your 6-year-old, Sam, who melts down in the middle of the grocery store because he can’t have a toy he spotted. Your instinct might be frustration, embarrassment, or a desire to get him to stop by offering something he wants. But,........

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