Negative Thinking and Anger and Kids

Negative Thinking and Anger and Kids

Negative thinking is the root of all evil. Well, maybe not the root of ALL evil...but maybe it is. 

We aren't setting out to prove or disprove either of those statements (that would take WAAAAAYYYY too long) and chances are you are here because you've got a negative thinking child on your hands or an angry child or BOTH...all rolled into one. 

Untangling a BIG Mess of Feelings

We've long discussed this issue and how to how to help kids untangle a big mess of feelings that lead to anger. You can start reading everything we've ever written on angry kids (and how to help them) by going here, reading what applies, and scrolling down to the bottom and clicking where it says "older posts" to keep going! (WARNING: There are a lot of posts...over 100.  That's because there are a lot of people out there trying to help their anxious, angry and over-the-top kids cope with these BIG emotions which often manifests as what looks like misbehavior.) 

Helping Kids Learn to Manage BIG Feelings: RULE #1

When anyone asks me how we can help kids manage angry feelings, my number one rule of thumb is that we need to be able to demonstrate good anger management skills ourselves! You'll hear me talk about it on our free MP3 and printables from the Anger Toolbox for Kids (which I did a loooooong time ago..and all of it still holds true TODAY) and the most recent How to Talk to Kids About Anything podcast I did with Dr. Robyn Silverman. If you struggle with managing your own reactions, and let's face it, haven't we all at one time or another...you might find this very, very helpful. We've got our own agitations, frustrations and upsets that sometimes get tangled up with our kids' anger and before you know, things can get a bit out of hand. It's why BLOOM  (a parenting and education approach) exists.

Things kids sometimes say. The truth is, this

sometimes comes out of the mouths of adults, too!

After We Master Our Own...

After we master our own responses, whether we use self-talk, mindfulness, yoga, mantras, prayer, deep-breathing or all of the above...we have to start building skills. We need to give kids tangible skills that help them calm down, think things through and look at things from another perspective. Sometimes that's a tall order. It's why we do what we do...and when you need extra help or reinforcement, we've got tons of resources to the rescue!

Practice, Practice, Practice...

It takes practice to learn just about anything worth learning and that includes learning how to deal with anger. Remember, we need to work with kids and if it takes 1,000,000 times to help a child learn to calm down, we teach them 1,000,000 plus ONE more time, to make sure they get it!

Helping kids learn to manage their emotions, no matter how long it takes, is an investment that's worth every second. Nobody has EVER lived to regret teaching children how to self-regulate! 

CHEERS

Cheers to you for taking up the glad fight...one that is relentless in helping every child...every single one...learn to be "Large and In Charge" of their feelings. Feelings really are our friends and I thank those of you who make every effort to help kids see that!

We're all in this together and WE GOT THIS!

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