Katy Linsley, Hand in Hand Parenting

FREE TALK - from your sofa - Thursday 27th August @ 8pm UK time.

Turning Ghastly Goodbyes into Smooth See-you-laters : how to help your child (and yourself) with separation anxiety

✅ 1 hour
✅ Free to join
✅ Practical Hand in Hand tools
✅ For parents, carers & childcare professionals
✅ Online — join from your sofa!

Katy Linsley | Hand in Hand Parenting Instructor

Reserve your spot: https://katylinsley.myflodesk.com/desvbz5jgn

Bit of a poll for the parents...

Which of these sounds like your child at drop-off?

Clings and cries
Gets angry or difficult
Goes quiet and shuts down
Fine at drop-off, then melts down later at home

All of these are completely normal responses to separation. And all of them can get easier.

I'm running a free 1-hour talk on Turning Ghastly Goodbyes into Smooth See-you-laters — covering what's really happening for your child and the gentle, connection-based tools that actually help.

Join us free:https://katylinsley.myflodesk.com/desvbz5jgn

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FREE TALK: Turn Ghastly Goodbyes into Smooth See-you-laters. Come get the support we all need.

Hand up if you've ever spent the first hour of your morning in a fog, still thinking about the last goodbye.

When my boys were small, drop-off was one of the hardest parts of my day. Not because they were always upset — but because when they were, I had no idea what to do.

Pull away quickly? Stay longer? Promise things? Bribe with the biscuit tin?

None of it felt right. Because none of it was getting to the root of what was actually happening.

The Hand in Hand tools changed that for our family. And they work for so many of the families I support too. So I'm sharing them — for free — in a 1-hour talk coming up soon.

It's called Ghastly Goodbye to Smooth See-you-laters, and it's for anyone who wants the school run to feel a little less like a daily emergency.

Free to join. Register below

https://katylinsley.myflodesk.com/desvbz5jgn

Tag a parent who might want this!

I've stopped saying "have a lovely holiday" to my friends.

Now I say: I hope there are plenty of bright spots.

It feels more honest. More realistic. And, weirdly, more hopeful - because it doesn't need every day to be perfect, just to have a few good bits in it.

So that's what I'm wishing for all of you this holiday. Plenty of bright spots - and maybe the ability to remember that any feelings that pour out might actually lead to those bright spots. 🌤️

It's tempting to blame tiredness for the holiday squabbling. But honestly? Tiredness doesn't cause the feelings — the feelings are already there.

What tiredness does is make it harder for any of us, kids and grown-ups alike, to keep them in check. Once school ends and the routine disappears, all those feelings that got squashed down all term finally have room to come out.

That's not a sign the holidays have gone wrong. It's usually a sign your children feel safe enough to let you see it. Their cups need refilling, same as ours do.

💬 Anyone else's house a bit "shouty" in the first few days of the holidays?

Photo by Ladislav Stercell on Unsplash

"I hope I'm not going to be disturbed," I announced, rather too loudly, on my way upstairs for a "peaceful five minutes lying down."

My youngest saw straight through me. "Wait — do you actually mean you want to be disturbed?"

Within thirty seconds, both boys had launched themselves at the bed, and I was loudly, theatrically bewildered as to why it had suddenly gone so lumpy. Ten minutes of wrestling and shrieking later, the grumpy, disconnected mood their screen time had left behind was completely gone.

I hadn't needed to tell them off. I'd simply lost, spectacularly and on purpose, to two children who badly needed to feel powerful for ten minutes 😄

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

I was drawn to Hand in Hand because my children were struggling — and if I'm honest, so was I.

I didn't need another list of things to try before bedtime. I needed to understand my children, the actual small humans in front of me.

And I needed somewhere to bring my own hurt, because the things we haven't healed from have a funny way of showing up in how we parent.

That's what Hand in Hand gave me. Ten years on, I still lean on it. You can too. Join the community - now free - and get support.

https://www.handinhandparenting.org/community/

There's a particular kind of tired that isn't about sleep.

It's the tired of doing your best with a child who's struggling, and quietly wondering if you're the only one getting it wrong.

I know that tired. I've lived in it.

This week, Hand in Hand Parenting — the non-profit whose tools changed things for my own family — made their Community free for everyone.

Weekly Listening Time calls, live Q&As with instructors, a full library of resources.

No cost, no catch.

If you've ever felt like you were figuring this out alone, this is for you. 💛

https://www.handinhandparenting.org/community/

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

My newsletter landed in inboxes this last weekend, and I've had some of the loveliest replies I've ever received. 💛

It's about the thing I used to do every single time my boys cried — that I now know was getting in the way of them actually feeling better.

I did it with the best intentions.
Most of us do.

If you're not already on my newsletter list and you'd like to read this one — pop your email in the comments and I'll make sure you get it.

Or if you know a parent who might need to hear this today, feel free to share. 💛

Warmly, Katy

A few of you have been in touch this week after my post about crying — thank you, it really does mean a lot to hear from you. 💛

You've been asking — so what DO we do instead?

That's exactly what my newsletter this weekend is about.

I'm sharing one of the Hand in Hand Parenting tools that has genuinely changed how I show up for my children in those hard, loud, tearful moments.

It's called Staylistening. And the name tells you almost everything — almost.

The newsletter goes out this weekend. If you'd like it landing in your inbox, just drop your email in the comments and I'll add you to the list.
Warmly, Katy