Have you ever had the experience of listening to a parent talk about their child’s attitude regarding an activity like dance, gymnastics, baseball, theater, karate, etc. and hear them say something like, "Jimmy loves his classes once he's at them. After class he's talking about how great it was and he always leaves with big smile on his face. But sometimes, I have a hard time getting him to his classes. Jimmy's watching TV or a friend asks him to play or he's in the middle of a game and he gives me a hassle about going to the activity. Has this ever happened to you?”
Child psychologists call this being "Present Oriented" and it's typical in young children, but certainly extends to teens. They don't want to break away from what they are doing now, no matter what! They have not learned the concept we like to call "stacking." If this happens to you or to a parent you are in conversation with here is a script that you may find very helpful.
Sit down with your child and ask, "Jimmy, can you build a nice castle or high tower if I give you a bunch of blocks?"
Ways to Practice the Art of Being Thankful
Posted: December 26, 2017
Most people have heard the expression “The Attitude of Gratitude,” but beyond knowing the saying, how do you ensure it is a part of your consciousness? I see gratitude as a key ingredient to being and feeling our best and it doesn’t have to just be once a year during Thanksgiving. In fact, practicing the daily dose of gratitude may be the best antidote for dealing with the struggles and pressures that face us all. Thanksgiving merely provides a scheduled opportunity to help refocus our perspective rejuvenate our desire to get in touch with this perhaps the very best version of ourselves.
For myself, I know that when I come from a place of being grateful everything and everyone else around me seems to improve. Does it really improve? Naturally, in many cases, things don’t magically change, but what does change is my perspective and most of the time this is all that is necessary.
In planning for one of the busiest months of my calendar I offer quick list of six random items to remind us of how much we all have to be grateful for.