by Yumi Hopfner (Author)

One beautiful summer night, Felicity was having SO MUCH FUN playing in her back yard, until Mom came and said: "Felicity, it's time to come inside. It's time to go to bed."

From there, Felicity's FUN and HAPPY moment quickly turns into ANGRY "I hate you, Mom "

How could Felicity and Mom turn this ANGRY moment into a moment of LOVE? How could this be a story of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE?

One of the many challenges we face as parents at some points in our parenting journey is the moment when our children act out from the principle of "I'M HURTING, SO I HURT YOU." In these challenging moments filled with RAW EMOTIONS, we as parents often get sucked into the intensity and we take it personally, feeling ATTACKED and HURT. As a result, we tend to react with the same principle, failing to RESPOND CALMLY with LOVE. Your children, you, and the parent-child relationship are all hurt in the process.

It is my hope that this story inspires children, parents, and families to appreciate those intense moments as great OPPORTUNITIES to learn about UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Use these challenges as stepping stones to continue nurturing RELATIONSHIP of TRUST.

When children have opportunities to experience "unconditional love" with you in action, they not only learn to love you and others unconditionally, but they also learn to love themselves unconditionally.

The gift of UNCONDITIONAL SELF-LOVE can offer a healthier and more balanced foundation for our children as they continue to explore their life journey ahead.