Chloe the Moody Manatee

This book is designed to help readers engage with their kids and not focus on the behaviors in front of them. Parents often will misjudge their children's actions for what they need (he hit his sister, he needs punishment) and they focus on stopping the behavior. But this story is designed to help parents see that behaviors are a language and they are trying to tell you something. When a baby is first brought into the world, their only form of communication is to cry, it is autonomic. We do not punish the baby for communicating in the only way it knows how. So later as the baby grows, it uses the only way it knows how to communicate, so when they know breaking something gets your attention, they will do this autonomically, because it worked last time. So, when we change the way we engage with their behaviors, WE as guardians change the conversation we are having with our children. We are no longer focusing on ending a behavior, but we are listening for their unmet needs. Because beneath every behavior is a feeling, and beneath every feeling is an unmet need. So, use this book as an example, each colored emotion is an example of a little manatee using behaviors and expressing feelings and getting their needs met.