tgrimes
11-21-2007, 01:24 AM
This is a funny story about what happened with a new thing I tried last week. Lately, I have been so annoyed by Theo's constant negativity. It feels like the only positive time of my week is 30 minutes on Monday and Wednesday when i'm volunteering in Carter's classroom.
So I tried to put together a game where I would say something and he would try his best to say something nice back. So I explained it to him in detail, and I had a few things written down I would say to him, and he was supposed to answer "great, because _________" and fill in the blank with something nice. I warned him that some of the things would be hard, but just try his best. so I started with an easy one:
me: "Hey, I think the mail just came"
him: "So"
me: "No, that's the first one, your'e supposed to say 'Great, because ....'
him: "Oh. Well I don't really like mail how about you say something else?"
me: "Well, that's the game it's supposed to be challenging. Ok, i'll give you an easy one now: I'm going to bake something, do you want to help?..."
him: Yes!
me: Good, see you can be positive, how about you expand that and make it a bigger?'
him: "Yes, I will?.."
me: Okay, now I am going to give you a tough one this might take a while for you to get positive about: 'Theo, time to get ready for bed..."
him: "Uhh, this is gonna take years ..."
It was good for a laugh at least. I decided to give it a rest and let him get used to the idea before taking it up again, he might warm to it. Too funny, we did this last Friday and just today he came to me and said "I know what I can answer you on some things... 'SURE I would'..."
I asked what he meant, what changed since Friday, and he said "I thought a lot about saying 'great', and it just doesn't fit me"
OMG now that's insightful, and progress.
So I tried to put together a game where I would say something and he would try his best to say something nice back. So I explained it to him in detail, and I had a few things written down I would say to him, and he was supposed to answer "great, because _________" and fill in the blank with something nice. I warned him that some of the things would be hard, but just try his best. so I started with an easy one:
me: "Hey, I think the mail just came"
him: "So"
me: "No, that's the first one, your'e supposed to say 'Great, because ....'
him: "Oh. Well I don't really like mail how about you say something else?"
me: "Well, that's the game it's supposed to be challenging. Ok, i'll give you an easy one now: I'm going to bake something, do you want to help?..."
him: Yes!
me: Good, see you can be positive, how about you expand that and make it a bigger?'
him: "Yes, I will?.."
me: Okay, now I am going to give you a tough one this might take a while for you to get positive about: 'Theo, time to get ready for bed..."
him: "Uhh, this is gonna take years ..."
It was good for a laugh at least. I decided to give it a rest and let him get used to the idea before taking it up again, he might warm to it. Too funny, we did this last Friday and just today he came to me and said "I know what I can answer you on some things... 'SURE I would'..."
I asked what he meant, what changed since Friday, and he said "I thought a lot about saying 'great', and it just doesn't fit me"
OMG now that's insightful, and progress.