Using Color Mending to navigate family transitions with toddlers
Parent: Amber Galué | Location: Colorado Springs, CO | Child’s age: 5
Amber Galué discovered Color Mending during a period of personal growth. "I would often find myself caught in overthinking spirals, and breaking free from those patterns was challenging. Color Mending helped me stop the mental loops and identify what was actually happening underneath all that overthinking. It helped me get to the root causes."
After experiencing success with Color Mending herself, Amber introduced it to her 5-year-old son, Lucas. "Coloring helped me put into words what my body was trying to tell me. This is a skill I wanted to teach my children. Since Color Mending is a simple, hands-on method for learning this, I thought I’d try coloring with Lucas."
The decision to try Color Mending with Lucas came at a crucial time, as the family was preparing for significant changes. "Lucas doesn't like to talk about big feelings, and he often doesn't know how to bring them up. Whenever I can tell something is bothering him I ask him about it. His usual response is, 'Oh, nothing.' With Color Mending it gives me and Lucas a natural starting point to open up these conversations."
Amber’s approach to coloring with Lucas is casual and inviting. "When I'm sitting down to color for myself, I invite him to join me. Even though he's not naturally drawn to coloring activities, he usually says yes! We color together, and take turns talking about what we colored."
The practice proved particularly valuable during two major family transitions: when Amber’s husband changed jobs and when Lucas' baby brother was born. "In the midst of all of the change, I noticed Lucas acting out more than usual. I took that as a signal that he needed a coloring session. Color Mending helped him process these changes in a way that felt safe and natural to him. And the best part was it helped my husband and I learn about what kind of support he needed from us."
One of the most significant breakthroughs came after the birth of Lucas' brother. "I remember the session vividly. He colored two pages. On the first page he colored, he used shapes and colors that represented how much he loves being a big brother. On the second page, the shapes and colors he used helped us see that he was missing our one-on-one time. We were able to have a meaningful conversation about how he can always ask for quality time with us. It also helped us, as his parents, to prioritize connecting with him, even when it looked different than before his brother was born."
Amber has seen substantial improvements in their family dynamics through the consistent use of Color Mending. "It's helped me create a better relationship with Lucas by giving me a clearer picture of what he's experiencing. It's also given us tools to navigate big emotions together. The beauty of it is that it doesn't take very long, and it creates a strong communication bridge between us."
Looking toward the future, Amber plans to continue using Color Mending as a family tool. "When Lucas' baby brother gets older, I definitely want to introduce him to Color Mending. It's become a valuable part of how we process emotions and stay connected as a family."
