Our moving time last December was pretty challenging, hard on everyone. You know, even good changes are sometimes really stressful. It seemed most days that no one had anything positive to say. No matter what the subject, my kids could turn it around and make it negative. I was starting to feel like a garbage dump for everyone's negativity.
So I started asking them a question at supper. "What is the best thing that happened to you today?" I was desperate to find a way to introduce some kind of positive speech to the family!
The first day they really had a hard time thinking of anything good. It took a few days of prompting, but almost overnight I noticed a change in attitude. Even if the day was rough, we were having uplifting conversation at supper. "Nothing" is not an acceptable answer! Sometimes if it's been a really bad or uneventful day, "eating supper" is the best thing!
Although "best things" started as a temporary fix, it has quickly become a tradition. If I forget, Billy or one of the kids remembers. It's become one of my favorite parts of the day. It's so wonderful to have a time when we remember the good parts of our day and share them with each other. So if you are tired of too much negative speech in your home, I'd encourage you to ask your family about the best thing that happened to them that day. It worked for us!
3 comments:
What a great tradition! I've heard of other families doing a "best thing/worst thing" conversation, but didn't like the "worst thing" part...whoe needs to has over a bad event of the day, right? Your children will no doubt have wonderful memories of talking around the table about the best things...
Yeah, I think if my kids were in traditional school or otherwise not with me most of the time, the "worst thing" might be a good way to stay abreast of what was going on with them. But since this started as an exercise in being more positive, we'll skip the worst thing for now!
this is a great idea! thank you.
Post a Comment