“I’m Frozen”: The Line to Delete?

One of the hardest parts to capture in my picture book wasn’t the sadness itself-it was how to show the moments a parent says, “Not right now.”

I’ve shared before how I struggled with the pressure to cherish every single second.

Maybe that sounds easy to you. But being “on” 24/7 is a lot. & when I didn’t always cherish every moment-when I took time to myself-the guilt crept in—

the whispers:
“She won’t want to play with you forever.”
“These moments go too fast.”
“She needs her Anna to play Elsa.”

But the truth was, sometimes I just couldn’t.

& I needed to let that go.

So when I needed a way to say:
I love you—but right now, I’m not okay.
I want to be present—but I need a breath.
Not now. But soon. I promise.

I turned to what I knew.
I turned to Frozen.

❄️ How Frozen Took Over Our Lives

I’ll admit it—
I didn’t want to be a Frozen parent.

I held off showing my daughter the movie for as long as I could.
I’d seen how obsessed little kids got—Elsa, Anna, the whole kingdom.
I thought, Maybe we’ll skip that phase.
I offered all the other classics instead.

But then she watched Frozen at a friend’s house.
That was it. It became our world.

She loved it. I love her.
But…I did not love Frozen.

& I told her that—gently, playfully, truthfully.

“Mom doesn’t like Frozen. And that’s okay.”

We find ways to play that worked for both of us.
She’d bring out her dolls—she’d played by herself telling stories & I’d compliment her creativity.

She’d belt out the lyrics & I’d cue up YouTube for backup singers.

📝 Back to The Lines I Cut & Didn’t

While writing, I wanted to include us—
Our lives, our inside jokes, our beach routines.
I had nods to playing Monster, Dad & his sunblock, seashell games…
& yes, I snuck Frozen in there too.

Parts clicked and flowed.
Some parts were clearly trying too hard.
& my beta readers & editors gently pointed those out.

For the most part, I agreed.
But the line I couldn’t let go:

“I’m frozen.”

When I first wrote it, I laughed because yes Frozen had subconsciously seeped into my mind despite all my efforts to not be the Frozen parents.
But it felt honest. It felt right.
It felt like something my daughter would instantly understand—a kind of code phrase, born of our life together.

The feedback came in:
🗨️ “It’s too abstract.”
🗨️ “Consider removing it—it may confuse children.”

So I hesitated.
Then doubted myself.

But I kept thinking of my daughter.
I read it aloud to her, in context.

When I said, “I’m frozen,” her eyes lit up.

She laughed. “Like Elsa!?”
She was thrilled. She got it instantly.

Not just because of the wordplay—
But because it was ours.

That moment sealed it.
The line stayed.

💬 Why I Kept It

I wrote this picture book to create an emotional bridge — between parents & kids, between inner truths & outer voices.

It’s not clinical. It’s not perfect.
But it gave us language — & sometimes, that’s the first step toward connection.
Mental health moments don’t always look big.
So much of parenthood is a quiet negotiation between love and capacity.

We love our kids. But we’re not always able to meet them where they are in every moment. That doesn’t make us cold. It makes us human.

This line — “I’m frozen” — is a gentle acknowledgment of that. A soft truth in story form. A nod to all the parents who love deeply… & need space anyway.

I kept the line because it was real.
I kept the line because my daughter saw herself in it.
& honestly, that’s what my book is about, too.

🧊 If You’ve Ever Needed a Minute…

…you’re not alone.
You’re not selfish. You’re not broken. You’re not failing.

You’re just a parent trying to raise a whole person while staying whole yourself.

So if your version of “I’m frozen” is “I need a break,” or “Not right now,” or even “Please play without me today”… that’s okay.

Your child may not remember every time you said yes.
But they’ll remember the strong version of you.

P.S.

If you want to follow along with more stories from the writing journey, or get a sneak peek at the character art, & early spreads, you can come hang out with me on Instagram: @cloudydaychronicles

& if you have a “frozen” moment of your own?

I’d love to hear it.