Discover Playing Strong
Learn simple strategies to build your child’s emotional regulation and resilience. Reduce stress with connection. PlayStrong is easy to learn and quick to see results, like a magic elixir for the turbulent times!
No matter how prepared you think you’ll be, most of us are surprised to discover just how much priorities change when you become a parent.
New parents often describe the moment they first held their baby as flooded with a mixture of emotions - joy, relief, bewilderment, pride, and love like they’ve never experienced before - pure love. Over the days and months that follow, you will discover many more feelings than you ever thought possible as you get to know your amazing, one-of-a-kind, ever-changing child.
The first five years of your child’s life are all about growing and learning. That’s why many of us ask questions, talk to other parents, download apps, and even read books and articles about raising babies and toddlers - to learn all we can about what to expect during this exciting, challenging and formative time.
Within a few short years, you’ll get to know your child better than anyone else on the planet. And you’ll feel challenged in many ways, too. Kids have a way of bringing out the best and the worst in us. They make us think and reflect on how we were raised, how we cope with stress, and how we will endure through strong emotion and tough behavior. They make us plan for the future and live in the moment.
Your child has formed a deep bond with you. A feeling and a knowing - that you are her “home”. Kids draw from our personal reservoirs of nurturing, compassion and dedication - and our natural instincts to provide care and protection may come with surprising intensity.
Each of us will be faced with times when you know your child needs you, and yet, you don’t feel like showing up.
Your commitment is still strong, but in between the wonderful moments with our children there are challenging ones too. Those moments can leave us feeling confused, frustrated, triggered, ashamed and frankly, exhausted.
I totally get it. I’m in the thick of it with my son, too. Sometimes you just need to survive the moment and get through it. But, because you are here, I’ll assume you’d like to be able to do much more than that.
That’s why we created PlayStrong, a helpful step-by-step guide for parents and caring professionals who work supportively with parents and children from the early years to adolescence. I hope to inspire you to approach the important role of parenting in children’s lives with creativity, joy, and resilience. I want to gather you in and lend you the power of community - because we are all more successful when we get the care and support we need to keep going.
“I’ve boiled down what we know about parenting, attachment, and the science of the playful brain, and presented it in a way that’s easy to learn and practice for parents, professionals, and anyone who cares about raising children to be emotionally intelligent, cooperative, and resilient. ”
A strong network of parents, educators, child care providers, therapists, social workers, trauma responders, child life specialists, and many others who care about children are using PlayStrong: at home and in the places where they serve the needs of families. If you are eager to learn this exciting way to counteract everyday stress, I want you to feel seen, heard, and included. Imagine hearing the words, “I’m with you. I believe in you. You’ve got this.”
Research shows kids depend on a strong relationship with at least one positive caring adult to overcome adversity they may face today, tomorrow, or someday in the future. And when kids have the experience of working at it and getting through something challenging, they build more resilience for the next time. The same is true for us!
That’s why I created this FREE resource to provide parents and professionals new tools in handling emotions, understanding behavior, and providing a model of nurturing connection, emotional balance and hopeful resilience to last a lifetime.
Thank you for all you do. You don’t have to know everything. You don’t have to be perfect. Take what you need, try it out and see what sticks. Let’s do this together!
Learn PlayStrong Strategy #1 Think Out Loud >>
