“Only a secure mother can say, “Tell me what hurts, sweetheart,” and listen attentively and respectfully to the answer. When an adult is avoiding her own history, entangled in her past, or disorganized about her losses, she can’t accurately assess and respond to a harmed child’s reality. Only a secure mother can find the heart of the highest-risk child.”

“Only a secure mother can say, “Tell me what hurts, sweetheart,” and listen attentively and respectfully to the answer. When an adult is avoiding her own history, entangled in her past, or disorganized about her losses, she can’t accurately assess and respond to a harmed child’s reality. Only a secure mother can find the heart of the highest-risk child.”

— Karyn B. Purvis