The other day Maddie told me she was putting me in the eye of a thunderstorm.

 

I had upset her.

She said it so seriously…and honestly, it was funny.

But it was also real.

She was trying to explain how she felt in a way that made sense to her.

Moments like that can go a lot of different ways.

You can laugh it off.

You can shut it down.

You can take it personally.

Or you can listen.

I chose to stay steady.

Not because I’m perfect, but because I’ve done the work to not let my child’s emotions destabilize me.

This is one of the most important things I’ve learned as a parent:

Your child’s words are not always about you.

They are about what they are feeling.

And if you are not secure in yourself, it’s easy to react instead of respond.

But when you are grounded, you can:

• hear them

• acknowledge them

• even apologize when you’ve hurt them

• without losing yourself in the moment

That’s what creates safety.

This is what care looks like in real life.

Not controlling your child.

Not correcting every word.

But creating space for them to express themselves while you remain steady.

That kind of care shapes how they:

• process emotions

• communicate

• and understand relationships

I know I’m a good mom.

I also know I’m going to upset my children sometimes.

Both can be true.

What matters is how I show up in those moments.

Care, especially emotional care, is not about getting it right every time.

It’s about staying steady when it matters most.