Sometimes, when it comes right down to it.......I recognize that life is not perfect!
One of my, more calm kids has been having some pretty serious "melt-downs."
I recognized, very quickly that we had some daily "worries."
It was getting late last night and I remembered this GREAT book I used in therapy, several years ago!
I must admit....Jamie Lee Curtis.....you are clever.
"Today I Feel Silly"
It's a great picture book about moods.
Some great moods, and some not so great moods.
None the less, very normal.
So I read it to my kids.
At the end, there's a little "face-o-meter" where the kids can turn the eyes and mouth to create a mood.
Boy did we have some good laughs!
After that, I had pulled out this long lost book:
"I bet I Won't Fret"
By: Timothy A. Sisemore
It's a workbook, for kids, on "anxiety."
With each excercize, there is a story.
Some check lists for the child and other exercises.
We read a story about an aardvark that felt "anxious."
How his teacher explains what that word "anxious" means.
Most importantly, who you can talk to if you feelt "anxious"
Wow.
I had NO idea!
One way, that I have gotten around this mood with other kids in the family....
Is to make a "worry box."
The child can put their worries inside the box.
And the box, can hold on to the worries for the child.
(This works great for kids that may not want to "talk about it.")
Now that they are getting bigger,
I tell them, that they can tell their worries to me, and I will hold on them.
(I have found that this can open up some great dialogue).
This family night opened up some GREAT conversations between our kids!
They could still talk about their feelings, and worries, but still be silly and laugh about it too.
Here's the clencher.
When the night was over.....and the kids were in bed....I flipped the workbook open.
Inside, some of the worksheets had been filled out by this child.
Checklists to measure anxiety.
Oh. My. Goodness.
Apparently, they had found it in my nightstand, last year.
Just after I had my hand injury.
As a mother's guilt......I should have asked how they were feeling about it all!
Looks like, I have a lot of work to do.
I had no idea.
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