Keeping Our Cool When Our Kids Are Hot

Children, in their developmental exploration, often encounter rising temperatures of anger, disappointment and fear—leaving parents in a pivotal position to guide them back to more comfortable temperatures. The significance of parental emotional regulation in these moments cannot be overstressed, both from a Christian perspective and through the lens of affective neuroscience, or how the brain processes emotions.

Much like a thermostat regulates the temperature within a home, a parent’s presence sets the emotional temperature. A thermostat does not mirror temperature, it actively sets and maintains it. Likewise, parents who see themselves as a kind of emotional thermostat actively shape the emotional temperature of their home.