'Mom, I am three times the rain and a bit of sun': How 'Inner Weather' helps parents and children communicate

A therapist from Quebec has developed an innovative communication technique called "Inner Weather," which helps parents and children express and manage emotions more effectively. Manon Jean, a massage therapist and reflexologist, found that children are more willing to share their feelings when they associate them with natural sky phenomena.

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I am three times the rain and a little bit of sun.

Children might describe their feelings poetically, saying, "I am three times the rain and a little bit of sun," to convey a state of sadness mixed with glimmers of hope. Jean emphasizes that this is not a method applied *to* a child, but a process experienced *with* them. The core principle involves adults first identifying and naming their own overwhelming emotions aloud, without judgment, as if experiencing fog, thunder, or a downpour.

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it is not a method that we apply to the child, but a process that we live with him.

Once an adult has acknowledged and processed their own feelings, they can then approach their child with an "empathy umbrella." This creates a secure emotional space where the child feels safe to express their own "squalls, mudslides, and lightning." By naming these internal storms, the child, like the adult, can often find them dissipating once acknowledged and accepted.

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out loud and without judging them