This book was written with a vision of assisting children who struggle with adversity and are unable to embrace their emotions. An important part of living a healthy emotional life is the ability to feel and accept our feelings. If hardship has occurred, being able to tolerate, mindfully observe, and hold with compassion the feelings associated with such adverse events will be an essential aspect of healing.
The process of accepting emotions should be gradual and progressive. Many traumatized children present with trauma-related phobias and may have a strong fear and a phobia of the emotions associated with the experiences of adversity and hardship. This book is designed to help children and their helpers (parents, teachers, and therapists) have a friendly road for embracing emotions. As children become more comfortable with their own emotional states and we expand their window of affect tolerance, it is then that healing can take place. Children should learn that emotions are not their enemies; instead, they are their allies, guides, and messengers. I hope you and the children you read this book with find it enjoyable, fun, and helpful.
