You've nailed one of the trickiest parts of parenting: telling the difference between a kid who's overwhelmed and one who's learned that shutting down gets a reliable reaction. Both are real, and the ...
really appreciate how you held both — signal vs overwhelm — without making attention-seeking a villain. The 'peek to see if you're watching vs gone and unavailable' is such a clear tell. And that line about not positively reinforcing a kid out of a flipped nervous system — yes. Quiet presence first, lesson after they come back. Thanks for laying that out this well.
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