Some children go quiet when their feelings are biggest. They are not being difficult; the words simply have not arrived yet.

P.A.T.C.H.E.S. offers another way in. His side pocket holds ten Feeling Faces, and his front pocket shows the face a child chooses. Pointing, sliding, or handing over a face says what a sentence cannot.

Once a child has shown a feeling, the conversation can begin at their pace. Ask “Tell me about this face,” then listen without rushing to fix anything.