Last week I walked into one of the schools I deliver well-being sessions in and a key stage one child was crying on the floor by the school office, they were inconsolable, tears pouring down their face, sobbing and repeating ‘I want my mummy’ over and over again.

Their teaching assistant had been with them for some time, reassuring them that mummy would come back at the end of the day and providing tissues but nothing was resolved. The child was absolutely distraught.

I offered to see if I could help and I sat down on the floor with them. I started to look in my bag for some resources I could share with the child but I didn’t have much that I thought might interest a child of that age, I was planning to work with older children that day.

✨ I suddenly remembered that in my pockets was a rose quartz crystal, a very special stone that had been everywhere with me since it was gifted to me by Hema Patel, 3 days after we lost my best friend in January.

✨ I considered how much healing and comfort this crystal had given me over the last three and a half months, and thought maybe it could help to soothe this child’s sadness too ✨

I took it out of my pocket and offered my special stone. The child looked up with a shy expression and took it from my hand, almost immediately their crying slowed and after a few minutes I started to speak.

I told the child that I understood, being at school could be hard. I took two of my feelings cards out of my pack and put them inside golden envelopes. I asked if they would like to open them.

✨ When they did they pulled out one card that said ‘safe’ and one card that said ‘brave’. I explained to them that they were safe at school until their mum came and that they were brave to get through a difficult day.

I know it’s not as simple as that and that more investigations need to be undertaken by the school to work out why they were so upset that day and what can be done to support them and their family.

✨ However, at this moment, they stood up and walked off calmly towards their classroom.✨

A few minutes later I followed behind them and told them that they could look after my pink stone for a bit longer. When I went back a bit later to get it they told me they didn’t know where it was, I wasn’t worried, I know that crystals go where they are supposed to go.

Later in the day one of the teaching assistants told me that they thought the child had taken the stone and wasn’t giving it back rather than that it had been misplaced.

I went and found them at lunchtime and explained that the stone was very precious, but if they could find it then they could keep it.

I wanted this child to experience the comfort and healing of the stone but not by gaining it in a dishonest way.

During the afternoon they came and found me and told me they had found the stone’ it was in my sock’ they said.

They showed me the stone and I asked if they would like to keep it at school to help them when they are having a hard day and they said yes.

✨ They came and found me and I said goodbye to my precious stone knowing it had a new job to do and they went back to class happily.✨

✨ Now, I know that some people will think that I should’ve taken the stone back.

✨ Or that I should’ve spoken to the child about taking things that weren’t theirs.

✨ But I knew in my heart that the pink stone had done its work for me and it had found a new home and I knew it was important for the child to receive it as a gift rather than by deception.

That’s why I gave them the opportunity to find the stone and bring it to me, in order for me to give it to them properly.

This is an example of the work I do with children and young people, my approach is different, it looks and feels different, the aim is that everyone feels good, everyone is inspired to ✨SHINE Brightly✨