The thing that first strikes you when you meet Steven is his introspective nature, one that very well hides growing up in an emotionally stunted home. “I grew up in a family that didn’t talk about their feelings.” With five brothers, fighting and aggression in the home was the norm, and a “boys don’t cry” attitude was adopted across generations. Behaviors like hugging and crying were shunned, and as a result, he says, he didn’t learn how to manage his emotions.

Struggling and determined to break this generational cycle, a flyer he received from his son’s school about Cope’s parenting classes caught his eye. Sage was seven years old at the time and dealing with emotional outbursts, tantrums, and general disobedience. Frustrated and impatient, Steven wondered, “How can I change him? Why isn’t he doing what I want him to do?” A class might help them better manage, he thought.