Thought for the day

Happy Valentines day!
Please remember that while love abounds along with hearts, flowers and lots of “love” talk, children with higher needs and who have experienced trauma may find this day very triggering.
Today can be a reminder that children are not with their birth families or a reminder that a child has difficulty making friends.
Today can be a reminder that a child does not really love themselves and thereby also find it difficult to understand loving others.
Today can be a day that triggers them repeatedly due to “love” being used as a reason for their abuse.
Please be mindful that this day may not be a wonderful and loving holiday for all of our children. For some we may need to tone it down or even ignore it. Please be aware of your child today and consider that any holiday can be a trigger. Be ready, and love them how they need to be loved…not how the holiday tells us they need to be loved. Loving our children may not mean sweets and a big hug, it may just mean giving them some space.