Grasshopper New Media Presents...

Let me tell you the story of
“The Problem.”

One day, a long time ago, when humans were brand new to The Earth, there were two parents. And they had a baby. And as that baby grew older, it would make mistakes. It would spill juice on the good rug, it would yell instead of using an inside-voice, it would not want to go to bed at 8pm, especially if there was no school tomorrow.

Well, when things like that would happen, a very ugly monster would appear. A big, scary-looking beast, with sharp teeth and mean, red eyes, known as “The Problem.” This horrible creature would magically appear, and the parents would put the child right next to this horrible beast.

The parents would then draw a line on the ground, stand on the other side of it, and point at the child, saying “You see how you spilled the juice! Now The Problem has arrived!! This is all your fault!!!” And the parents would wag their fingers at the child, and yell “This is your doing! This is your Problem! Fix It!!”

And the child felt sad and alone and a little afraid.

But one day, the parents were visited by a wizard, who heard of the tales of the terrible Problem. After a nice cup of peppermint tea and a few cookies, the wise wizard looked at the parents, and he began to speak. He said, “Parents, your job is tough, the hardest job in the world. But it’s not the child’s fault that it’s hard. And your child’s brain isn’t as big as yours, not just yet. So let’s consider dealing with “The Problem” in a different way. Consider pulling your child close to you, on your side of the line. Hug your child, and then point, across the line, at “The Problem.” Then say to your child, “I love you and I’m on your team. You see “The Problem”? Well, together, me and you, we’re gonna fix that problem and make it go away!”"

The parents smiled at this, thinking it a bit of a funny way to deal with such a fearsome beast. But they liked the wizard’s hat and the way he seemed to enjoy the cookies, so they gave it a try. The next time the child spilled the juice, The Problem appeared. And this time, the parents grabbed the child, and hugged the child tight, and kissed the child on the head. They said, “Hey, we know that you’re trying your best, and we really dig that about you. But next time you hold the juice, try to use two hands instead of one.” And the child smiled and nodded and said, “Sure, two hands, I can do that.”

And, with a tiny whimper, “The Problem” went away.

And the child was happy.

[tags]kids, parents, parenting, caring, problem solving, love[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by massdistraction, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved