Your Child Isn’t Difficult - The World Just Isn’t Built for Their Feelings.

You’ve heard it or maybe even said it yourself: “She’s so sensitive.” “He needs to toughen up.” “That kid is too much.” So, let’s clear something up: your child is not “too much.” They’re not broken, spoiled, or destined to become some entitled adult if you don’t shut that big feeling down right now. They’re a developing nervous system in a world that’s flat-out hostile to kids’ emotions, and they’re doing the best they can.

When kids act “difficult,” what you’re really seeing is what psychologists call dysregulation - their emotional brain has completely hijacked their rational one. In that moment, they literally cannot behave the way you want them to. Punishment and shaming don’t magically teach them to regulate. They just teach them to hide.

And make no mistake: we live in a culture that rewards kids for bottling up their feelings and punishes them for being authentic. Schools want quiet compliance. Parents want convenience. But here’s what research tells us: kids don’t need to “toughen up.” They need to feel safe enough to learn how to ride out those big waves of emotion without drowning.

That means you, the adult, have to show up differently. Not as the enforcer of silence, but as the calm in the storm. Not as the person who fixes their feelings, but as the one who helps them make sense of it all.

Your child isn’t difficult. They’re living in a world that isn’t yet designed for feelings their size. Be the exception. Teach them what the world won’t, and you’ll raise a kid who can handle it all without having to pretend they’re someone they’re not.