To be triggered is to have an intense emotional or physical reaction to a situation or event. For parents, this often looks like a reaction to the way our children are behaving, to how they respond to our parental guidance or requests, or to a 'final straw' kind of moment when life/work/parenting is already demanding. Triggers come in all shapes and sizes. You could say a trigger is a warning sign to focus you on what you are really needing deep down.