295: Lean into your kid being extra (whatever flavor of extra they got)
Thu Feb 05 2026
When kids are dramatic, hurt, angry, or emotionally flooded, our instinct is often to shut it down with logic.
“It’s not that bad.”“You’re fine.”“Stop overreacting.”
In this episode, I explain why that backfires — and why leaning in to big feelings actually helps kids regulate faster.
We talk about:
How kids borrow our nervous systems
Why minimizing emotions makes them persist
The power of exaggeration and humor
How going into your child’s emotional world brings them back
Why adult logic doesn’t work in emotional states
The difference between leaning in vs. matching a tantrum
When to lean in — and when to stay calm and quiet
How functional freeze shows up in parents
Why listening to too many experts disconnects us from intuition
How leaning in builds trust, connection, and repair
This episode is a reminder that:You don’t need perfect words.You don’t need a script.And you don’t need to fix your child’s feelings.
You just need to be with them.
As always — put your phone down, rock on, and have a beautiful day.
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When kids are dramatic, hurt, angry, or emotionally flooded, our instinct is often to shut it down with logic. “It’s not that bad.”“You’re fine.”“Stop overreacting.” In this episode, I explain why that backfires — and why leaning in to big feelings actually helps kids regulate faster. We talk about: How kids borrow our nervous systems Why minimizing emotions makes them persist The power of exaggeration and humor How going into your child’s emotional world brings them back Why adult logic doesn’t work in emotional states The difference between leaning in vs. matching a tantrum When to lean in — and when to stay calm and quiet How functional freeze shows up in parents Why listening to too many experts disconnects us from intuition How leaning in builds trust, connection, and repair This episode is a reminder that:You don’t need perfect words.You don’t need a script.And you don’t need to fix your child’s feelings. You just need to be with them. As always — put your phone down, rock on, and have a beautiful day. 👉 Sign up for my newsletter Jamie's Instagram Oh Crap! Cafe Parenting Community Oh Crap! Potty Training Oh Crap! I Have a Toddler Paleovalley Protein Sticks Therapee Brick for Phones(Save 10%)