Hank and Frank Wrestle with Disappointment

Hank and Frank Wrestle with Disappointment is a guidebook for parents to support their children through the normal yet uncomfortable emotion of disappointment. It is common for parents-especially those of us raised this way-to say, "That's life, kid. It's full of disappointments; get used to it!" or to overindulge our children by protecting and rescuing them from disappointment.

It's true that children need to learn how to deal with disappointment. However, this doesn't require a dismissive ("deal with it") approach or an overly protective or indulgent one ("my child or I, as the parent, can't or don't want to handle it").

In this book, Hank and Frank experience moments of disappointment, and their parents learn how to best support them. Hank learns to name his disappointment, unpack the related feelings and thoughts, expand his window of tolerance, accept it, and move on.