These three are called Primary Emotions. As a parent we know it is our job that our child knows these emotions and how this may be feeling. But… these are JUST our Primary Emotions! Emotions are like colors. We know there are so many more colors than the primary colors we learned in grade school.

When we as human beings are “regulated” - our nervous systems feel safe, balanced, and ready to interact with the world as it is coming to us. We can have things that are regulating to us or dysregulating.

The effects of co-regulation (or co-dysregulation) impact everything that happens between parent and child. Co-regulation occurs when a caregiver and child are helping one another to regulate, or to help their nervous systems find a calm and oriented state.