TAKING THE HELM with Lynn McLaughlin

TAKING THE HELM with Lynn McLaughlin is an interview show about the emotional lives of children and teens, and it keeps circling one question: what can a child learn before things fall apart? The framing is preventive. Blow-ups, breakdowns and withdrawal are the starting point, but the emphasis falls on coping skills rehearsed while a child is calm, so they are within reach later. Lynn McLaughlin's name is on the show. In the episodes here, Katherine Collins sits in the host seat and is introduced as guest host. The episode 'More Than Behaviour: Understanding the Mind-Body Connection in Children' puts the approach in its plainest form. The advice is to practice with a child away from any confrontation: run around the yard, get big, then stop, feel the heartbeat and notice what the body is doing. The idea is that breathing learned in play is what a child can reach for in a crisis. A remembered yoga class sums it up with a line about finding calm out in the world, not only on the mat. Other conversations widen the range. Laurel Crossley returns for 'Holiday Magic Without the Meltdown with Laurel Crossley', which includes a story about handing children a fixed sum to shop with and turning presents into a lesson in value, math and budgeting. In 'Star Students | Where Curiosity Drives Learning', Kimberly of Star Students talks about programs she has developed for her students. An episode with Dr. Perlow follows a children's book as it was reworked alongside a classroom, with students answering questions about the story and drawing the moments and superpowers that mattered most. 'Helping a Child With Autism Thrive: What the Science Shows' turns to diet, with talk of gluten, gut permeability, mold exposure and low vitamin D as loads on the immune system. It ends with a reminder to seek out one's own doctor or healthcare professional. The heaviest material is in 'Saving Lives with Text Messaging | The SchoolPulse Approach to Teen Mental Health'. There, Uri Mello, a licensed clinical social worker, describes co-founding School Pulse after several teen suicides in his community. The service sends positivity and growth-mindset tools to students, parents and faculty by text and email. Dr. Terry Rouse, described as an autism reading specialist and creator of the Real Peaceful Parenting Program, is part of that conversation, which carries a spoken suicide advisory. Throughout, the register is warm and practical, and the show speaks to parents directly. The closing refrain, 'helping children thrive doesn't have to feel overwhelming', sets the mood. The sign-off points to thepowerofthought.ca, which is linked to a children's book series in which five alien kids glow in the color of their feelings. For the method, start with the mind-body episode. For the stakes, start with the School Pulse conversation.