She's not waking us up in the middle of the night anymore!

Before Denise's workshop, my 10-year-old would get hysterical whenever anyone started coughing. She'd seen a friend get sick a few times, and it always started with a cough, so now any cough would send her into a panic, even waking us up at night when her sister coughed.

When Denise explained how our brain's alarm system works and that kids' brains aren't fully developed to handle emotional triggers yet, it finally made sense. But the best part was learning that we could actually help our daughter train her brain to respond differently. Denise suggested helping our daughter create something to tell herself when she hears a cough, so instead of the trigger controlling her, she could control the trigger.

My daughter and I talked through it together, and I showed her the picture of the brain Denise gave us. My daughter came up with her own response, and now, when someone coughs, we see her quietly talking to herself instead of panicking. It's been such a relief for our whole family.

We had no idea!

After meeting Denise and learning about 4-Youth’s mission, I shared what I learned with my wife. My teenage son happened to overhear our conversation, and simply hearing what Denise taught me opened the door for him to share his own experiences. We were shocked to learn how close these issues were to him, and we had no idea. None of this would have happened without meeting Denise. Talk to Denise, and then talk to your kids!