When things feel hard, it feels good to hear that we’re going to be okay. Your grownups can tell you. That’s good. But, what might be even better is if your grownups tell you and help you be able to say it yourself.
There’s a book I like for helping kids use words to share what feels hard and for figuring out things that could make it feel less hard. The words are pretty easy to read; you could read it yourself. But, I think it’s best when Moms or Dads read it with their kiddos, because when it’s time to talk about what it’s like for that kid and what that kid could do, more brains working together are better than one.
Here’s a video of the book with me flipping the pages for you to read together. One friend told me I went a little too fast sometimes (oops!). But, it’s okay; you can just pause the video so that you can read it as slowly as you like.
Here’s a video I made of me reading it too, just for fun.
Once you’ve read the book, think together about what feels hard to you. Maybe you could print some copies of this page (like as many as you want) and make your own “I will be okay” book with your grownup.
If you do and you want to share it, I’d love to see it. Sharing how we are figuring things out is good for everybody!
Kelly Raudenbush founded The Sparrow Fund along with her husband Mark in 2011 and launched Project Puppy Love, a canine-assisted therapy program for foster and adoptive families in June 2018. As a child and family therapist, Kelly has a particular interest in (a) encouraging and empowering parents who are struggling to attach with their children, (b) helping parents walk with their children as they process their stories, (c) helping couples continue to pursue each other and grow together while they parent their children as a team, and (d) training and empowering orphanage staff in China to build relationships with children and each other. Kelly and Mark have been married since 1998 and have 3 biological children and 1 daughter who was adopted as a toddler from China in 2010. You can contact Kelly directly at kellyraudenbush@sparrowfund.org.