--- title: School was hard for me. Now my child is struggling, and it’s bringing up a lot. description: 'If you had a difficult time in school, seeing your child struggle in similar ways can be tough. It can bring up big feelings, and make it harder for you to help yourself — and your child. Find out why from Dr. Monica Johnson. ' slug: school-trauma-big-feelings author: The Understood Team published: '2024-02-01T14:55:50.842Z' date_modified: '2024-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:00' source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/school-trauma-big-feelings lang: en --- # School was hard for me. Now my child is struggling, and it’s bringing up a lot. Listen to Dr. Monica Johnson talk about how past experiences can have a big impact on our present actions and feelings. Then, try one of the activities mentioned in the video:  - Mindfulness can help you manage emotions and process difficult experiences from the past. Try this [mindfulness activity](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/5-4-3-2-1-mindfulness-technique).  - Find some quiet time and try writing down some of the things you remember from your own school experience. What stands out? What feelings do these bring up for you? Why? Ready to learn more? [Watch the next video](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/school-trauma-fight-flight) in the series. --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [Resources for parents coping with their own difficult school experiences](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/resources-for-parents-coping-with-their-own-difficult-school-experiences) - In the final episode of our Parenting Problems series, Dr. Monica Johnson reviews what we’ve learned and offers resources to help you continue your journey. Check it out! - [What pushes your buttons? ](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-pushes-your-buttons) - Your child’s school struggles can instantly take you back to the emotions you felt when you were in school. In this video, Dr. Monica Johnson talks about how to spot your “button pushers” or triggers. - [School trauma and the fight, flight, freeze response](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/school-trauma-fight-flight) - Seeing your child struggle in school can trigger a lot of stress, especially if you struggled in school too. Watch this video to hear Dr. Monica Johnson explain the fight, flight, freeze response. --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/school-trauma-big-feelings#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/school-trauma-big-feelings","description":"If you had a difficult time in school, seeing your child struggle in similar ways can be tough. It can bring up big feelings, and make it harder for you to help yourself — and your child. Find out why from Dr. Monica Johnson. "},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/school-trauma-big-feelings","name":"School was hard for me. Now my child is struggling, and it’s bringing up a lot."}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2024-02-01T14:55:50.842Z","dateModified":"2024-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:00","description":"If you struggled in school because of a learning difference like ADHD (or for any reason!) seeing your child struggle can bring up big feelings. Dr. Monica Johnson explains where these emotions come from and why learning how to manage them is key to helping our children — and ourselves.","headline":"School was hard for me. Now my child is struggling, and it’s bringing up a lot.","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/school-trauma-big-feelings","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}] ```