Meltdown Moments
MELTDOWN MOMENTS! What parent doesn’t have them? And when they occur in families, the whole family can get swept up in the heat of the moment. Infants and small children in the family are central to the whole scene. They observe what has happened, they “feel” what has happened, and it may seem they “caused” what happened even though the bigger person knows it really isn’t that small child’s fault.
Sometimes these “systems failures” are mainly Mum and sometimes Dad. Sometimes they are simply part of everyday life and are a reaction to the tensions of life, particular strains of illness, money, and other family pressures. If they happen a lot, they may be part of a mental health problem. Whatever the mental health of parents in your family, this book may be useful for the small children (and some other members of the household!) Have a peek inside and you will see the delightful art of Marie Jonsson-Harrison humorously depicting family life, meltdowns and all. As the story develops, Mum decides she needs help, and family life improves.
In some families, mental health difficulties can be at the heart of more frequent meltdowns. Borderline personality disorder is one of the conditions which can cause such emotional spillovers. This book provides not only the picture story to help children understand a bit better about what is going on for mum – or maybe dad – but also some information from the author of the story, Dr Anne Sved Williams. Anne is a psychiatrist who has been working with mothers with mental health difficulties for 30 years and has a passionate interest in helping the whole family – infant, small children, mum, dad and maybe the grandparents as well.
The book will be valuable to anyone living in a family with meltdowns and also to those working in educational settings who can use this book as a starting point for discussions about family emotions.