Maya, a thoughtful and sensitive nine-year-old, sits on her bed hugging her knees. Her eyes dart to the window as she lets out a sigh, feeling a swirl of worry in her chest about the day ahead. "Why do feelings have to be so big sometimes?"

Mom, Maya’s patient and wise mother, notices her daughter’s furrowed brow and sits across from her, offering a reassuring smile. "Big feelings can be scary, Maya, but they’re trying to tell us something important," "But what if I don’t like what they say?" "That’s okay. All feelings are part of you. Maybe we can learn to listen to them together."

Mom kneels beside Maya, helping her add new landmarks to their “Heart Map.” "Let’s draw where your feelings live. What does worry look like?" "Maybe…a foggy forest. It’s hard to see where I’m going when I’m worried." "That’s a beautiful way to describe it. What helps clear the fog?" "Talking to you. Or taking deep breaths."

Maya feels a surge of anger after a difficult call with a friend. She scribbles in her journal, pressing hard with her pencil, her emotions crackling like the storm outside. "Why did she say that? It’s not fair!" Mom sits beside her. "Want to talk about it?" "I don’t know… I’m just so mad!" "Let’s put that anger on the map. What does it look like right now?" "It feels like a volcano that’s about to explode."

"Remember, it’s okay to let the volcano erupt a little, as long as we find safe ways to let the lava out," "Like squeezing a pillow or drawing how I feel?" "Exactly. And sometimes, after the storm, we find new things growing." Maya smiles, placing a green marble in the jar, and traces a tiny flower blooming beside the volcano on the Heart Map.

Maya closes her eyes, remembering the day’s emotions—the fog, the volcano, the rain, and the flower. She feels her heart a little lighter, her breaths a little deeper. "Thank you, feelings, for helping me know myself," she whispers to the quiet room. Mom peeks in, smiling softly, and switches off the light, leaving Maya with the gentle comfort of her own emotional intelligence.