Life has been a little busy lately, which means emotions have a tendency to run wild. Multiply that by four kids, and you have an incredible opportunity to practice what you preach.

I’m an advocate for expressing emotions and feeling your feelings, but we have definitely come across some helpful tips and tools along the way. I wanted to share a few with you here that have helped our family in recent weeks!

• Daily check-ins at dinner: this is actually something my 12-year old started over 2 years ago! He would go around the table each night and ask us what the best and worst parts of our days were. One of our family values is to eat dinner together around the dining room table every night; it’s something my husband’s family did when he was growing up. Nowadays, we ask these 4 questions:
  1. How was your day?
  2. What was the best part?
  3. What are you thankful for?
  4. What was the hardest (or worst) part?
• Big Feelings Pineapple: a great resource for younger kids (at a reasonable price)! Similar to Mr. Potato Head, but double-sided and more emotions!
• 5-Minute Feelings Journal for Kids & Teens: written by Jen Avellaneda, a friend of ours from Washington! Available in four colors, I got one for each of my kids… and they love them! A helpful way for them to prioritize the feelings and process their day!
• Secret word: a trick that one of my kids learned in counseling! A safe word between you and your child that you say when tensions are starting to rise or you’re getting overwhelmed. A calm way to remind one another of coping skills to use.
• The Five Love Languages: in a recent meltdown, this proved to be a surprising solution for my child through conversation and understanding. I was able to explain that we all feel loved and express love in different ways, and they don’t always match up between family members. Helping each of my kids explore and decide how they best feel loved, we were able to pinpoint practical ways to show love – especially when we’re struggling and need a little extra attention.
  1. Words of Affirmation (speak some encouragement)
  2. Quality time (playing a game)
  3. Acts of Service (doing their chore or helping them with it)
  4. Physical Touch (a hug)
  5. Gifts (a thoughtful surprise)

This isn’t an exhaustive list, and there are many other things we implement in our home! Also, it’s not one-size-fits-all. (As a mom of a child with special needs and as a mom of four kids, sometimes none of these work!) But we keep trying, we keep breathing, and we keep moving forward.

I hope these resources are helpful to you and your family/friends. I’d love to hear in the comments any other resources that have helped you on your journey!

Keep running the race God has marked out for you, eyes fixed on Jesus! You are seen, heard, known, and dearly loved by Him!