My children are wild and my children are loud. You will know when they are happy, you will hear them singing at the top of their voices. Their happiness is so contagious. If we are out and about they will swing off trees, off lampposts and hop and skip along whilst raising their singing voice to the sky. I love to see them like this, so free and expressive.

That expressiveness takes on many forms , which is exactly how it should be. You will know when they are upset or annoyed, they can cry out loud and make a hell of a noise out of whatever they find lying around. I have to fight the urge to quieten them down, because who wants to see a child being anything but happy. I have gotten so many side glances, had so many people roll their eyes when they see my children just being themselves.

We are not happy all the time, so why do we expect children to be and why should we belittle their feelings by telling them to be quiet. I understand that is can make some people uncomfortable to hear others upset, and I also know that it can make some people really annoyed to see a child get frustrated and be allowed to 'act out' their emotions.

I encourage my girls to express themselves, no matter how they feel. If they are angry, then be angry, let it out. Let it out in a way that feels more like a release and not like an attack on someone else.

My middle daughter has found it really hard not having her father around and she gets angry sometimes, and rightly so, it is unfair that he is not here for her. I let her shout and I tell her to scream into pillows, as she has has told me that some times her screaming scares her. screaming into a pillow allows the release but with a much soften sound.

I am seriously considering getting a punching bag for the family, something we can all use and that can actually be a fun way to release anger and any pent up energy, but I do work a lot with my girls so that they feel things as they come up. Which is something that happens naturally for them, but as they get older, they lose that freedom to just be. They start to experience pressure from adults, from schools, from authority to act a certain way, 'to behave' as some people like to look at it.

My girls are very well behaved, behaved when it comes to things that really matter. They are respectful to all living things and they know how to listen to others. These are the things that are important, not forcing them to be quiet, forcing them to suppress their emotions, because it makes others uncomfortable. Just allowing them to be.

As well as encouraging them to be expressive, I have let go of my fear of holding on. Since becoming a mother, I rediscovered my inner voice and my power. Because what good is saying all of these things if you are not doing them yourself. Children like to follow, so the way that we live, the way that we interact with the world and with ourselves is so important.

My children have the freedom to be, to be who they are meant to be and so do I. Allowing our emotions to flow. I do not get upset if my girls yell at me, I know that they re just expressing themselves and how great that they feel safe enough to do so. They will always come back and apologize to me for doing so and we talk about it and hug and all is well.

We are here to be an example for our children, to lay down the foundations from which they will grow and blossom. When you give them freedom, they give the awareness and insight to take your freedom too.

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