Helping children navigate big emotions is one of the greatest challenges parents face. In this episode of Parent Confidence Lab, Hans and Cristina sit down with Abby Horton, Certified Child Life Specialist and founder of Little Lighthouses Child Life Services, to explore practical ways parents can teach healthy coping skills, build emotional resilience, and confidently support children through life's everyday challenges.

Drawing from more than a decade of experience helping children and families through medical procedures, trauma, and major life transitions, Abby explains why coping skills should be practiced long before stressful moments occur. She shares actionable strategies for co-regulation, creating calm-down spaces, modeling emotional expression, preparing children for transitions, and helping kids build resilience through everyday routines rather than perfection.

The conversation also tackles some of parenting's toughest moments, including navigating tantrums, choosing when to hold boundaries versus offering grace, helping children process disappointment, and understanding how parents' own emotional regulation shapes their children's ability to manage stress. Abby reminds parents that resilience isn't built by avoiding difficult emotions, but by walking through them together with compassion and consistency.

• Why coping skills should be practiced before stressful situations occur
• How parents can co-regulate their children's emotions during difficult moments
• Why crying is often a healthy form of emotional coping
• Practical ways to teach deep breathing, visualization, and sensory regulation
• How calm-down corners and coping toolkits support emotional development
• Why preparation and predictable routines reduce anxiety and tantrums
• How to balance boundaries with flexibility during emotional outbursts
• Everyday strategies for building resilience and independence
• Why modeling your own emotions helps children regulate theirs
• How being present during difficult moments strengthens long-term confidence and trust

Abby Horton is a Certified Child Life Specialist with more than a decade of experience helping children and families navigate medical experiences, trauma, life transitions, and everyday parenting challenges. She is the founder of Little Lighthouses Child Life Services, where she provides practical guidance, emotional support, and evidence-based strategies that empower parents to confidently support their children's emotional well-being and development.

• Website: https://www.littlelighthouseschildlife.com/
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abigail-horton-27012b61
• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/littlelighthouseschildlife/

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