There’s a kind of silence that hits different when your kid’s been left out.
It’s not loud or dramatic. It’s quiet.
You see it in their eyes before they even say a word.
That little flicker of hurt.
The way they pretend it doesn’t matter.
The way you pretend you’re not falling apart inside for them.
Because there’s nothing like the ache of watching your child feel unseen.
I used to think I’d be calm about it.
You know, teach them resilience, talk it through, model kindness.
But when you see your kid excluded or picked on, something primal kicks in.
It’s this mix of heartbreak and anger and helplessness because you’d take it for them if you could. A hundred times over.
And the hardest part?
You can’t fix it.
You can’t control what other kids say or do.
You can only teach yours how to stay soft in a world that sometimes feels sharp.
I’ve had so many moments where I’ve sat in the car after school just holding space for the tears, the confusion, the why don’t they like me.
And I wish I could tell him that it gets easier, that people always grow out of being mean.
But honestly, some don’t.
So instead, I tell him this....
Buddy your Kindness will always make you stand out, even when it feels lonely.
Stay gentle, the world needs more of that.
Find your people, they might take time, but they’re worth waiting for.
I don’t know when it happened, but kids seem meaner now.
More guarded.
More influenced by what’s cool and less by what’s kind.
It breaks my heart because childhood used to feel lighter.
But that’s why I care so much about what we’re building with Sand + Salt Kids.
It’s not just clothes. It’s confidence. It’s comfort. It’s a reminder for them and us that kindness still counts.
Because one good friend can change everything.
One kind word can make the day feel lighter.
And one safe home where they can just be themselves can heal what the world chips away at.
🩵 To every mum holding her kid through the hard stuff:
You’re doing enough.
You’re raising the good ones.
And even if it doesn’t look like it right now, your love is what’s shaping them most.
— Ash x
Founder, Sand + Salt Kids
Clothes made for the soft-hearted and strong-willed.