![]() I have found that I have had to model some examples of how to be more optimistic in situations. It’s amazing how just the twirl changes the frown into a smile. When their circle is over, they get to have a smile on their face and turn their comment around as well. As you can see from the above picture, if it is a girl twirling, arms come out and they are momentarily transformed into princess status. At that point, you say, “Turn around.” They get to take one twirl. Basically, your child might say something negative or have a pouty attitude about something. Have I made the game clear yet? I’m not sure I have. I thought that her bad mood (when she’s in that zone) would prevent her from playing along with this game, but it seems to be impacting life for the better around here. ![]() However, when things head south, they really head south. When life is great, which (fortunately) she generally feels that it is, than the whole world is rainbows. My oldest daughter, especially, is one that experiences emotions to the fullest. Negative comments and attitudes, in our house, often come when my kids are either tired or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I guess I should have been more optimistic about the game. It is actually working, and I plan to continue playing this game throughout the week and probably beyond too. I doubted it because I wondered if, while they were being grumpy, something as simple as turning in a circle could actually change their attitude. Even though optimism week has really just begun, I have been playing this game with my kids for a few days to see if it would really work. Teaching optimism to kids can be made easier with a game I made up called, “Turn Around.” The game has them literally turn around and then turn around their attitude. (Sept.“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 First serial rights to Ladies' Home Journal and Parents magazine author tour. While a few of the exercises may seem daunting to parents, this encouraging volume moves beyond popular self-help tomes and ideology to offer hope and practical suggestions it will be of great value to teachers as well. He describes the development of the Penn Depression Prevention Program, in which school kids are taught ways to divest themselves of pessimistic approaches and adopt optimistic ones, and adapts it to home use by parents. In clear, concise prose peppered with anecdotes, dialogues, cartoons and exercises, Seligman offers a concrete plan of action based on techniques of self-evaluation and social interaction. Instead, he proposes that self-esteem comes from mastering challenges, overcoming frustration and experiencing individual achievement. ![]() Seligman discounts prevalent theory that children who are encouraged by others to feel good about themselves will do well. Further, his studies demonstrate that ``pessimistic children are at much higher risk for becoming depressed than optimistic children.'' His mission here is to teach parents and other concerned adults how to instill in children a sense of optimism and personal mastery. According to noted psychologist Seligman (Learned Optimism), 30% of American children suffer from depression.
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