Growing up, I didn’t really have the space to express my emotions. A lot of my childhood was shaped by separation, trauma, and silence. I was taught to stay quiet or hold everything in, and because of that, I carried a lot of unprocessed feelings into adulthood. For a long time I didn’t know how to communicate them.
The one person who made me feel genuinely safe was my godfather, Padrino Kiko. He didn’t have to say much. Just being around him made the world feel softer and less scary. When he passed away in 2024, I wanted to create something that honored the comfort and stability he gave me.
This project came from that. I wanted to understand why so many people grew up without emotional support, including myself, and what could have helped us when we were kids. My senior project became both a healing process and a way for me to help break that pattern for the next generation.
As I started researching and interviewing people, something became clear very quickly. So many of us were never taught how to express our emotions. Almost everyone I spoke to said they grew up being told to stay quiet, tough things out, or hide their feelings. That silence did not disappear as they got older. It turned into anxiety, depression, emotional avoidance, unhealthy coping, and difficulty forming safe and trusting connections.
I also learned that a lot of children today still struggle to access mental health resources. Long waitlists, cultural stigma, and financial barriers make it difficult for kids to get proper emotional support.
All of this showed me that the real issue is not only mental health. It is an emotional communication issue that starts very early in childhood.
"People didn't talk about things in my house." - Anonymous Interviewee, March 2025
"I think it'd be beneficial to just have somehow a way to be able to express yourself." - Anonymous Interviewee, March 2025
My research came from academic studies and personal interviews, and they both pointed to the same patterns.
From the interviews:
- Many people said they were not allowed to show emotions as children
- Younger adults talked about coping through avoidance, fear, or shutting down
- Older adults admitted they still struggle to communicate feelings
- Almost everyone said a book like this would have changed their childhood
From the academic sources:
- Kids often cannot access mental health support because of cost or limited availability
- Emotional neglect in childhood is strongly connected to lifelong mental health challenges
- Trauma and loneliness affect the developing brain
- Positive and emotionally supportive media helps kids develop emotional intelligence
Everything I learned confirmed one thing. Children need accessible, comforting emotional support as early as possible.
