I'm the first person to giggle/cringe/fume at all the feelings talk
and redirection and tolerated annoying behaviors of kids young and old.
But that's because I come from a long line of bitter,
passive-aggressive control freaks. Lucky for my kids (crossing fingers,
crossing fingers), I'm smart enough to know that kid brains are still
developing, life is not easy and children's outward actions rarely
correlate one-to-one with their inner needs/wants/emotions.
I'm
also smart enough to farm my beauties out to the pros when I can. I get
a little break. The kids are with other kids. And the pros know what
they're doing. Because the pros are gifted in the childcare arts.
Because the pros are supervised by other pros. Because the pros re-up
their professional credits every summer and go on retreats and role
play, role play, role play to collect the necessary "tools" for dealing
with conflict and stubborness and the crankies in just the right way
that everybody feels good and heard and special about themselves at the
end of the day.
Right? Wrong!
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