The Magic Words
During a recent visit with a family I met through a friend’s introduction I was caught in the center of a whirlwind of activity and loud children. As we sat in their living room their kids were running wild and rampant.
With three little sets of feet constantly encircling the coffee table it was almost impossible to carry on a normal conversation. Suddenly one child offended another and there was crying all around.
Little the parents did made even the slightest dent in the temper tantrums. They counted to five, threatened and scolded yet the display of displeasure continued.
After a few minutes I whispered a few words into the ear of the oldest child and her 8 year old tears subsided quickly.
She walked over and took her younger sisters by the hand and quietly led them off to play elsewhere. Oh, I could still hear a few snubs and moans as the pain eased, but the result was wonderful after 20 minutes of chaos.
Both parents stared at me with their shocked and disbelieving eyes and asked, “What did you say?”
Magic words! When I leaned over I simply whispered in her ear that I was making HER the teacher and her sisters were now HER students. Teachers don’t cry and they don’t let their students cry.
As soon as she believed that she was in charge she stopped crying and also helped her ( students ) stop too. I had replaced her discomfort with a focus on authority and responsibility using a game format that the child could easily understand.
These are the same factors that give you self-esteem and self-control as an adult.Take a close look at yourself.
Are you a crying child or a teacher leading others by the hand?
This with the SOCIAL BOOKMARKING CONSOLE