Your Child Isn’t “Acting Out”—They’re Asking for Connection // Sarah Dangaran and Roshana Grile

We explore how big emotions shape our children and teens as we sit down with two of our own play therapists, Sarah Dangaran and Roshana Grile. They share why play is a child’s natural language, how toys become a gateway to understanding their inner world, and what it looks like for us as parents to attune and truly see the heart beneath the behavior.

We talk about the realities families are facing today—anxiety, anger, transitions, meltdowns, and the exhaustion that comes when nothing seems to work anymore. Together, we unpack how shame, stress, and our own stories shape our parenting, and why emotional connection is the foundation every child is longing for.

We also explore practical tools for creating emotionally healthy homes: entering a child’s world with presence, speaking identity over them, repairing when we blow it, and remembering that healing comes through safe, engaged relationships. Whether we’re navigating toddler tantrums or the prickly season of adolescence, we’re reminded that it’s never too late to grow as parents and leaders.

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Thanks for partnering with us to help more leaders, just like you, who want to live and lead with integrity at home, work and in the community. Go to livingwholehearted.com and sign up to receive our free leadership tips and updates delivered to you in our monthly newsletter. And, if you’re a girl mom, check out mycourageousgirls.com.  

Until next time, be the leader you would follow!

Grateful for you,

Jeff & Terra

To connect with Jeff & Terra Mattson and Living Wholehearted, go to:

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@TerraMattson

@Living_Wholehearted

@MyCourageousGirls

FACEBOOK

@WeAreLivingWholehearted

@MyCourageousGirls

WEBSITES

LivingWholehearted.com

TerraMattson.com 

MyCourageousGirls.com

RESOURCES

Shrinking the Integrity Gap 

Shrinking the Integrity Gap e-Course 

Courageous: Being Daughters Rooted in Grace

Dear Mattsons 

Helping Moms Raise Confident Daughters

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