Myra Hurtado

By Myra Hurtado, LPC-S | Healing Hearts Counseling It is 1:47 in the morning. A fourteen-year-old is lying in bed with a phone glowing under the blanket. Their parents think they are asleep. They keep scrolling, though they may not be enjoying it anymore. A conversation might still be unfolding. They might be wondering who is included, who is upset, or what they will miss if they put the phone down. The next morning, we see a tired, irritable teen and reach for a familiar question: How much...

There are some moments we spend years hoping for—and then, when they finally arrive, they undo us a little. In May, my baby girl graduated from high school. And in this same season, my middle daughter graduated from nursing school, became engaged, and just recently moved out. My heart is bursting with pride. I am grateful, excited, and in awe of the people they have become. I watched them step toward their futures and felt the kind of joy that is almost too big for the body to hold. And I was...

If rules alone worked, parenting would be easy. But many parents discover—especially in hard moments—that enforcing rules without connection often leads to power struggles, shutdown, or escalation. From a trauma-informed and nervous-system perspective, this makes complete sense. Because children don’t learn best when they feel threatened.They learn when they feel safe . Why Relationship Matters More Than Rules Rules help guide behavior, but relationship shapes regulation . A child’s ability...