Good day to you, my friend. If someone says that to you, do you believe it is possible? Do you KNOW how to have a GOOD DAY? Do you KNOW how to be a FRIEND?
Through the process of self-discovery, you are able to reach inside yourself to find happiness, no matter what the circumstances.
The ideal way to solve ANY problem in life is really quite simple. You learn to ASK yourself some questions. Then you learn to SEARCH yourself for the answers. Say you have an issue with your young child. They don't listen, they don't eat, they don't sleep, and they yell a lot.
What options do you have, my friend? You can take the first reaction: Anger & Yelling. Let's look at what that accomplishes. You yell, your child either yells back or cries. Either way, they STILL are not doing what you want them to do, and now you are angry and stressed out.
Your second reaction may be to play "let's make a deal". If you eat (sleep, stop yelling, etc.) I will give you an extra treat. Well, what if they don't REALLY want that treat? Then you go through a series of different treats, until you find one that is good for the child. Well, now you may be frustrated and a little cranky. Better than the first option, but let's keep digging.
A NEW reaction might be to use the "AS SOON AS YOU ARE DONE WITH" concept. You can say, well, Jenny, you can watch your show AS SOON AS YOU ARE DONE WITH the mac & cheese. That being said, if she DOESN'T eat the mac & cheese, there is NO SHOW UNTIL SHE DOES EAT IT.
I will be the first to admit that this is difficult to start with, but as time progresses, your little one will LEARN the boundaries that YOU set, and will LEARN to LIVE with them.
Another plan of action for the "cranky child" is putting up boundaries on WHERE the "hissy fits" can take place. Everyone is going to be mad or upset at some point in time, but if you say, "there is NO yelling or hissy fits in the living room, so if you are going to be upset, you need to go to your room until you can stop with the attitude. You can also have the child "throw their attitude in the garbage". Have them walk into the kitchen and go to the garbage can and "throw" it in there, and say goodbye to it.
These are just SOME of the ways that you can have a "Good Day to you, My Friend".
~Submitted by Carolyn Smith, Coach, Owner of Life Coaching by Carolyn ~ www.lifecoachingbycarolyn.com