Modern society has some strong views on how we understand and respond to our children's crying. We are often taught that crying should be distracted, punished or ignored.Today, many child care professionals advocate controlled crying as a useful and healthy response to babies and toddlers who find difficulty sleeping alone. Given that many of us experienced this same response as babies, is it any surprise that when we hear our own children's distress, we have a need to stop the crying? ;As our own experiences emerge we rock, feed, distract, ignore and chastise our children.Most parents share the deep desire to grow emotionally strong and healthy children, yet we disallow them the expression of feelings that we find painful or undesirable.

Crying in the arms of a loving adult is an essential ingredient in nurturing emotionally strong, connected human beings.When we can sit undistracted and lovingly with our children's painful feelings, we offer them the opportunity to heal and connect.We teach them healthy ways to express their pain and that we will not leave them when things are difficult.

In our crying section you will find articles that explore the impact of controlled crying on children's development as well as ways to support ourselves and our children through crying.