"The kids who need the most love, will ask for it in the most unloving ways" - Russel Barkley
Everyday Parenting - Dealing With Rudeness
As parents, we have often faced moments of absolute shock when we hear certain unapproved words spoken by our little munchkin. We get caught up in 'what' they said and 'where did they hear it?' instead of asking questions like, 'do they even know what it means?' or 'why did they say it in the first place?'. Sometimes our deeply conditioned reactions limit our ability to respond calmly and empathetically. All we need in that moment is to take a deep breath and examine what just happened - with Love. This week's article provides one such insightful observation by a mother, who shares her own personal experience of uncovering what is behind her child's behavior, while also offering a beautiful understanding of how she deals with such difficult moments through consistently holding her love for her children. [read more]
Reading Corner
Title: Anh's Anger
By: Gail Silver
Ages: 4 - 8 years
"In Anh’s Anger, five-year-old Anh becomes enraged when his grandfather asks him to stop playing and come to the dinner table. The grandfather helps Anh fully experience all stages of anger by suggesting that he go to his room and, "sit with his anger." The story unfolds when Anh discovers what it means to sit with his anger. He comes to know his anger in the first person as his anger comes to life in full color and personality. Anh and his anger work through feelings together with humor and honesty to find a way to constructively release their thoughts and emotions and to reach resolve with Anh’s grandfather. [...] Anh’s Anger teaches children that it is okay to feel angry, and shows the technique, often used by child therapists, of externalizing the emotion. Through taking time to "sit’ with his anger, a young child is able to see his anger and talk to it and together they move through the journey of experiencing the different stages of anger until the feeling subsides and finally resolve. [...] The author’s intention is to help parents understand that there is an alternative to "time outs" as a means of helping children to express themselves when feeling angry, while providing children with a mechanism for internal dialog during a "time out" or when "sitting" with their anger. - Publishers
By: Gail Silver
Ages: 4 - 8 years
"In Anh’s Anger, five-year-old Anh becomes enraged when his grandfather asks him to stop playing and come to the dinner table. The grandfather helps Anh fully experience all stages of anger by suggesting that he go to his room and, "sit with his anger." The story unfolds when Anh discovers what it means to sit with his anger. He comes to know his anger in the first person as his anger comes to life in full color and personality. Anh and his anger work through feelings together with humor and honesty to find a way to constructively release their thoughts and emotions and to reach resolve with Anh’s grandfather. [...] Anh’s Anger teaches children that it is okay to feel angry, and shows the technique, often used by child therapists, of externalizing the emotion. Through taking time to "sit’ with his anger, a young child is able to see his anger and talk to it and together they move through the journey of experiencing the different stages of anger until the feeling subsides and finally resolve. [...] The author’s intention is to help parents understand that there is an alternative to "time outs" as a means of helping children to express themselves when feeling angry, while providing children with a mechanism for internal dialog during a "time out" or when "sitting" with their anger. - Publishers
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be the Change
Make this week a responsive week and not a reacting week. If your child refuses to listen at all, give them space, but most importantly give yourself the space to listen to what they're feeling and consider what they are not able to express. We've all experienced on several occasions that at the end, all they need is a cuddle, connection and validation that 'all is ok'.
