17/09/2026
Sometimes the child labelled “difficult” is the child who feels the least understood. 🩵
I once sat with a young person who was known for being disruptive.
He didn’t listen.
He challenged adults.
His behaviour was constantly being managed.
But when I sat with him — without trying to correct him, teach him or change him — and simply listened, he said something that has stayed with me:
“No one listens to me.”
And there it was.
Not an excuse for the behaviour.
Not permission for unsafe choices.
But something underneath it that mattered.
At Compelling Minds, this is where we start.
We get curious!
What is happening for this child?
What are they struggling to communicate?
What skills are they still developing?
What need might be sitting underneath what we’re seeing?
Because children aren’t a behaviour to be fixed.
They’re humans who are still learning how to navigate some very big feelings, expectations and experiences with a brain that’s still developing.
Sometimes changing the question changes everything.
Instead of only asking:
“How do we stop this behaviour?”
We can also ask:
“What is this child trying to tell us?”
🦋🩵
