I'm realizing that, when disappointment strikes while I'm nannying, I'm the one there to pick up the pieces. It's been a huge challenge for me. Sometimes I feel like I'm walking around blindfolded and having to inch my way forward one cautious step at a time. At times, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.....ok, more like most of the time.
I had a situation come up recently where both kids I nanny were faced with a huge disappointment. It took what seemed an incredibly long time just to get the boy to stop crying. We ended up having to skip a lot of homework that day because he was too overwhelmed with the disappointment.
A friend posted this article on facebook today on how to motivate an upset child, and I found it to be very encouraging and exactly what I needed to read.
Maybe someday I'll have it all figured out. How to handle kids when they're throwing tantrums, moody, using unkind words towards other, etc. But for now, I'm continuing to stumble along and learning a great deal about myself, life, kids, and being a nanny.
That was a great article! I think a lot of people are tempted to react emotionally, which isn't good in most situations. Asking questions can be so much more affirming and calming than talking/telling. I think that a lot of encouragement is fluff, unless you are using Scripture or have the gift of encouragement (which I think you do). Those words are so much more powerful than anything we could ever come up with!
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