Dear Parent.

Dear parents,

Some evenings, you get into bed long after everyone else has gone to sleep. You lie there, eyes wide open and wired, going over the day. The outbursts. The quietude throughout the meal. The telephone communication from the educational institution. The part where you lost your temper and said something you wish you hadn't. Again.

You are exhausted. Not just "I'm tired; I need a nap." You are tired to your core. The kind of weariness that makes it hard to recall what it felt like to be happy. You feel so fatigued that you start to doubt if you can do this.

Listen to me: you are not alone.

It's challenging to be a parent to kids who come from tough backgrounds. It begs for everything from us: our presence, our control, and our comprehension. And sometimes it wants more than we think we can provide.

When our kids are acting out, they don't require a perfect . They need one that is safe enough. Someone who continues coming back, even when they're tired. Someone who can be an Owl Brain presence—calm, interested, and connected—even when everything inside feels like a Watchdog barking or a Possum shutting down.

But here's the truth: you can't provide Owl Brain when you're out of energy.

This letter is not a reminder to accomplish more or be better. It's okay to stop. To take a breath. To feel what you are feeling. To look after you.

You show your child what safety really looks like when you take care of yourself with the same love and care you want to give them. You show them how to fix things. To take a break. To stay human through it all.

Your child might never say thank you for all the emotional work you do for them every day. But I can see it. And I know how much it costs. You are performing holy labor that builds your brain and heals your heart, no matter how today went.

If you're lying there tonight wondering if any of it mattered, let me remind you that it did. You do.

With so much compassion,

Levi