What does it mean to parent when triggered? Often, our kids meet us with big emotions and behaviors that can stretch us and activate an in-kind response, particularly when we’re stressed or worn thin.
And at that moment, we’re challenged to slow down. To create space between our reaction and response so we can respond in love.
Below are fourteen quotes to help you with parenting when triggered.
Quotes on Parenting When Triggered
Quote 1: Kids don’t “make” us yell. They reveal to us where we have room to grow, where we have wounds to heal, and where we still have unresolved trauma from our own childhoods. – Inspired by Shelly Robinson
Quote 2: When the milk is splattered all over the floor, and those little eyes are looking at you for your reaction, remember what really matters. It takes 5 minutes to clean up spilled milk; it takes much longer to clean up a broken spirit. – Rebecca Eanes
Quote 3: Unless there is a risk of your child hurting themselves and you need to step in, when your child is having a meltdown or “tantrum,” your first step should be to calm yourself down. Very rarely does effective parenting happen when you are triggered, angry, or stressed. – @australianpsychologist
Quote 4: Your capacity to have empathy for your child in difficult moments is directly related to your capacity to have empathy for yourself in difficult moments. – @drnicolebeurken
Quote 5: In the heat of the moment, first, attend to how your child’s behavior makes you feel, so you can then attend to how your child feels without the interference of your own emotions. – @dr.siggie
Quote 6: When I calm myself first, I protect my kids from things that have nothing to do with their behavior. – Inspired by Dr. David Erickson
Quote 7: When your child is having a meltdown, your number one priority is to stay in control of your own emotions. – @dr.siggie
Quote 8: Your child’s state of reactivity will often mirror your own state of reactivity. – Inspired by Caley Kukla
Quote 9: Meeting a child’s hostility with adult aggression only adds fuel to the fire. To extinguish hostile behavior, meet it with calm and compassion. – Rebecca Eanes
Quote 10: It doesn’t make sense that adults lose control with children for losing control. And then expect children to be able to control themselves when the adult in front of them can’t even control themselves. – Inspired by Jessica Martin-Weber
Quote 11: My kids aren’t to blame for triggering me, pushing my buttons, or driving me up the wall. It’s on me to work through those triggers, remove those buttons, and tear down the wall instead of expecting my kids to change their behavior before I change mine. – Inspired by Iris Chen
Quote 12: If we want our kids to stop and think before reacting, then we need to show them how. That means we need to practice pausing, keeping ourselves regulated, and then responding—not just with them, but in all areas of life. – @drnicolebeurken
Quote 13: Peaceful parenting isn’t about your ability to stop feeling what you feel. It’s about separating your feelings from your actions. Letting the feelings come. Acknowledging them. Letting them go. Then responding with intention. – @loveandletgrow
Quote 14: Respond to children with the same connection and empathy for all their behaviors, and they’ll know your love isn’t conditional. That’s how you become their “safe space.” – Sarah R. Moore
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