Caregivers may hold themselves to impossibly high standards, but we all act in ways we wish we didn't sometimes. One way to reduce caregiver stress is to focus on repair - apologizing and reconnecting - after a hard moment. Instead of trying to be perfect, science shows that ruptures and repairs are a normal part of human relationships, and that coming back together after a mistake deepens and grows connection. This also models healthy habits for children as they develop in the future.

A few tips to give parents on how to repair:

• Acknowledge the mistake: "I shouldn't have yelled"
• Provide some perspective taking: "I was feeling frustrated and am having a hard day"
• Set your intention: "Next time, I will try and use a calm voice"
• Reconnect: "Would you like a hug and we can go back to playing?"

You can also share this clip from the Sparks Parent Video Series with parents directly.

AND...try modeling some of these in the visit yourself. A few ideas are:

• "I think I went too fast and didn't understand your question, let me try that again."
• "I'm sorry I didn't get back in here as fast as I had hoped, it is a very busy day here and I know that is frustrating."
• "It sounds like what I recommended last time didn't work. Let's try something new today and we will keep working on it."