15/02/2026
The ‘Why’ Of Calm Cats?
My son💛
I knew from early on that my son experienced the world differently. As a baby he didn’t sleep unless rocked, he was REALLY alert, early with milestones, and very creative in exploring the environment! He was a happy baby. As a toddler he was always on the go, didn’t stop, was wildly curious, super cheeky, didn’t play with toys in the way they were intended and was VERY easily frustrated. But he was happy. He thrived at nursery with the play based curriculum, he was inquisitive, curious, confident and extended his learning at home. He loved exploring and he LOVED learning. He was very impulsive. He was happy. When he moved up to school. BAM! He slowly began to change. He began to have regular emotional outbursts at home after school. He cried at bedtime and said he didn’t want to go. His ‘behaviour’ was being tracked in class and at playtime. He was no longer happy. He was struggling. With the structure, the sitting, the being still, the authoritarian teaching style, the ‘not getting it right’, the functions of reading and writing. The un nurturing support.
It was heartbreaking to see the change in him and especially the level of dysregulation he experienced and had no understanding of or control over. I knew he needed some kind of intervention or support to help him. To help him begin to understand himself. To learn some regulation strategies. To build his confidence and self esteem back up. But I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for.
So I created it. Calm Cats. A therapeutic activity curriculum to help children learn about their body and their mind; to develop a toolbox of regulation strategies and to nurture positive emotional health and wellbeing so they can be happy and confident in who they are no matter how they experience the world.
So thank you, for being my inspiration not just for Calm Cats but for also pushing me to be a better person and a better parent. The parent that you NEED.
