Spirited Horses

"We tell our children that their feelings are like horses - beautiful spirited horses. But they are the riders. We tell them that God gave them this horse when they were born, and they will ride it  their whole life....

When our emotions act up, it is like the horse trying to jump the fence and run down into a yucky place full of spiders to get lost in the dark. A good rider knows what to do when the horse tries to bolt - you pull on the reins! Turn the horses head! Get back on the path!

....first of all, the horses are not the problem. There is nothing wrong with the emotions. If we have a little rider who is woefully unprepared to control her horse, well then, we had better start with some pretty serious riding lessons. Talk to your children how they might feel, and what you want to see when they do. Give them some practical handholds; be a coach...."

-Loving the Little Years, Rachel Jankovic