Thursday, March 5, 2009
not a total failure
I managed to keep the breakdowns under control today (meaning under 10 minutes in duration, and no loud, class-stopping sobbing) ... And I felt good about my room and all the work the kids have done lately when 15 of my 18 kids' families trooped through for Open House tonight. I've decided I'm not a total failure at my job! woo hoo!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wow! 10 minutes. That's a serious tantrum. I've been doing some babysitting at a local church (for pay). The other night, two of the boys were rolling these little game pieces all over the floor. I said, "If you are playing with those game pieces, you are going to have to pick them all up when you're through." So, 10 minutes later, it's time to pick them up and one 8-year-old boy throws a fit and marches into the corner, arguing with me about not picking them up. I said, "Okay, that's your choice, but I'm going to tell your Dad that you disobeyed me." He sulked for about 3 more minutes, then picked them up. That little episode was annoying to me, so I can only imagine how frustrated you get dealing with much more extreme behavior day in and day out. I'm praying for patience for you!
ReplyDeleteSee, there's the difference. Your boy knew his dad would punish him later, so he decided to just avoid that. My kids' parents are depressed and dealing with boyfriends leaving them, older siblings going into Juvi, and being the only money maker for a family of 4... Their parents' emotions are out of control and show to both the kids and to me, so my kids don't know how to appropriately respond to stress either. Thanks for the prayers! Hopefully I can be patient and show these kids how to deal with their emotions a little better.
ReplyDelete