No one wants to receive unsolicited parenting advice. But there’s one effective way to handle a child’s big emotions | Yumi Stynes

It helps me to think of myself as my child's support animal. It doesn't berate or problem solve. It just shows up and sits with the child through their big feelings

• Sharing the Load is a column about parenting children of all ages

I was at a kids' soccer game and there were children everywhere. The environment was high-stress and even as an adult it was easy to feel overwhelmed just from being there. (Children in groups inexplicably scream.)

Among the chaos was a little girl about three years old, crying and flailing on the floor of the grandstand, while her mum paced around her, urging her to get up, leave the soccer grounds and walk to the car so they could drive away.