brain and body accustomed to distress is more easily triggered by things that happen during or after a long day at school. Emotional outbursts are common for all children trying to regulate their developing nervous systems, but for a child already stressed, fatigue or hunger can quickly escalate to rage or despair. Researchers call this phenomenon kindling.24 Kindling explains how a child or adult can seem fine one minute and outraged or fearful the next. She is highly sensitive because her nervous system is on alert.
