"Courage Finds his Calm" by Lisa Watson

Life is busy. Every daddy and mommy knows that. It's not always easy staying on top of things, and if it looks like you are on top of things, something will come along and dash those carefully laid plans. There are times when we want to scream. There are times when we want to cry.

Unfortunately, we need to just pick up the pieces and move on. Life moves fast, and we don't always have the time to sit and mope, but there are other reasons to get back up and try again. When something doesn't go right, we need to recognize that things won't always work out for us. In life, there is no easy option. There may be "easier" options, but we always have to find our own way through the trouble, the problem, the mess.

The story starts on a beach, which is a great way to start this book.

You hear a lot about meditation, yoga, centering, and ways to calm yourself down. Parents are always trying to get our children to calm down. There are a lot of issues that kids face today. We're always trying to help them through their issues. Sometimes, all you need to do is just sit, relax, and take a minute.

"Courage Finds his Calm"

Photo: awakentheone.org

This is where Courage the Bunny comes in. Courage is the title character of Lisa Watson's book  "Courage Finds his Calm". The story starts on a beach, which is a great way to start this book. Summer is coming, and it's been a cold winter for a lot of us.

A beautiful, glorious castle

Courage is building a sand castle with friends. It is a beautiful, glorious castle that reaches the sky, but then the castle comes down. All of their work falls down to the ground, and the glorious castle is nothing but a pile of sand. Courage the Bunny is upset about their castle coming crashing down to the ground, and he makes a commotion, throwing his toys.

Helping Children with Emotions

It's a scenario daddies and mommies have seen before: something doesn't go right for a child, and their reaction is one of frustration and anger. Luckily for Courage, he has a friend named Callahan. Callahan works with Courage to explore his feelings and find ways to work through his emotions. There are other ways to deal with your problems that won't involve throwing things or losing your cool.

Parents are always trying to help their children work through difficult situations. Eventually, they will be able to figure things on their own. What's important is finding ways to figure things out that aren't loud, abusive, or destructive.

Callahan teaches Courage to breathe. We're always breathing, but this way of breathing is a calming, soothing way that can bring a child's emotions down and calming them. This can be important because when someone is upset, they can do or say things that will hurt themselves or someone else.

It's Okay to have Emotions

Emotions are normal. It's okay to have them.

Your child might even be able to help a friend when they're having a bad day. 

As parents, we have to be Callahan for our children. It's okay to have emotions, but you need to be able to control your emotions. It's okay to be upset, but why are you upset? What happened that caused you to have these feelings? Like Courage, a child can have a bad day or something bad can happen. What's important is they are able to pick themselves up and get back into it. Get back into their day, their project, their game. Whatever it is that didn't work out and made them upset, they need to remember that troubles can be temporary, and dealing with troubles and setbacks is a part of life and growing up.

There are daily challenges when it comes to raising children. If a child needs help trying to deal with a difficult situation, or if a parent has trouble helping a child, then "Courage Finds his Calm" may be a great way to start working through feelings and emotions. Your child will feel better, and they might even be able to help a friend when they are having a bad day.

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