Why Some Kids Crash

Not all children have the same emotional thermostat. Some are born with a more reactive amygdala, meaning their threat detector fires faster and louder. This is temperament, not behavior.

Highly sensitive children need more co-regulation, not less. Punishing them for big emotions teaches that feelings are dangerous and should be suppressed. Meeting them where they are — in the emotion — is what builds the long-term wiring for self-regulation.