10/05/2026
Children borrow our calm before they can consistently create their own.
When a child is overwhelmed, the adult nervous system matters. Our tone, pace, facial expression and body language can either add to the sense of threat or help communicate safety.
That does not mean adults must remain perfectly calm at all times. We are human too. It means recognising that regulation is relational.
Before we ask a distressed child to calm their body, it is worth checking what our own body is communicating.
Sometimes the most powerful intervention is not another instruction, consequence or explanation.
It is a steady adult who can communicate:
“I am here. You are safe. We can get through this together.”
