When Kids Told Me the Comics Sounded Too “Teachy”: Co-Creating Real Voices in the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids
Hello friends,
If you read last week’s story, you know how the Feelings Habit Animals were born: from six kids in my living room who insisted, “We need a quiz. That would make it fun.”
They were right, of course. But after we created the quiz, the kids had a new request:
“We need comics.”
At first, I wasn’t sure how to make it work (I’m not really a comics person). Every time I tried, it came out too “teachy.” I’d read a line aloud and one of the kids would grin and say, “No kid would ever say that.”
I’d laugh and reply, “Okay then, what would they say?”
Sometimes we’d go back and forth, rewriting the same line until it felt real. I wanted the message to come through. They wanted the characters to sound like actual kids.
So I started pairing kids according to their Feelings Habit Animals — Bears, Deer-Beavers, and Chameleons — because we wanted the stories to resonate with what real kids feel inside.
If James (our Bear) was going to come alive, he needed a Bear’s voice — big emotions, quick flare-ups, and a soft heart underneath. If Anita (our Deer-Beaver mix) was going to feel real, she needed kids who knew what it was like to overthink or worry about being “bad.” And if Sam (our Chameleon) was going to hide feelings in a way that felt authentic, I needed the insight of kids who knew that habit firsthand.
When we worked on Adventure 6, the “Chameleon” kids helped me shape one of the most honest scenes in Volume 1:
Sam wasn’t invited to a friend’s birthday party and sat building with Legos while insisting,
“I don’t care that I wasn’t invited. Parties are dumb! I’d rather be here playing Legos.”
Curi, the curious chick who shows up in every comic, peeked out from a Lego tower and said,
“Are you resisting sadness? It’s okay to be sad, you know.”
Sam answered quickly,
“What? Me? Sad? Nope.”
Then Curi just stayed close, quietly curious, and asked,
“What are you making?”
That small moment with a chick, a Lego city, and a kid not ready to talk about feelings became a powerful lesson on how to honor and work with resistance.
The kids taught me something else, too. I used to think Chameleons hid their feelings on purpose. But through these conversations, I realized something deeper: for Chameleons, the feelings hide themselves. It isn’t avoidance, it’s unconscious protection.
Understanding the chameleon habit changed not only how I saw Sam, but also real kids I work with every day (and grown-ups like my husband!).
And that’s when I saw it again: Play is the secret door.
Through comics, kids didn’t feel lectured. They saw themselves. They laughed at James, felt for Anita, and recognized Sam’s quiet sadness. Resistance melted and compassion grew.
This is why the Mindfulness & Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids looks the way it does. Every page was shaped by kids, and by the habits they were learning to hold with kindness.
Next time, I’ll share how kids drew their own comics first…and even helped choose the illustrator who brought the final characters to life. I’m also hoping to share some of the early comic versions with you.
With love and courage,
Jamie Lynn
P.S. In our family, we sometimes tease each other about our feelings habits. But it doesn’t always land well if someone’s upset (like the other day when I called Maya a Bear-ver while she was obsessing and exploding over a lost item). I’ve learned that the best time to joke is when everyone’s calm… and, honestly, a good rule of thumb is that it’s best when we joke about our own habits.💛
Thank you for being a part of our community. Your presence really matters.
🐾Read next: When Children Taught Me How to See — How a few wise kids (and one tiny ant) taught me that pictures can teach what words cannot.
