I should practice what I preach
During a 5th grade art therapy session:
“I just wish my mother would’ve… you know…”
“no, I don’t know.”
“you know, wouldn’t have had me”
“See, this is the problem. When things get rough, you get negative.”
“but it’s true. I wish I was someone else.”
“you have to love yourself. you have to be happy with yourself.”
“well, I don’t”
“Well, this what needs to change. When things start to go in a direction you don’t want them to, you turn into this negative person who wishes they didn’t exist.”
“so?”
“so, you’re being a coward. You turn into a big sissy when things don’t go your way and suddenly wish you weren’t in your own shoes. Are you a big sissy, S?”
“No. I ain’t a sissy I just can’t do anything right.”
“You can do things right, I see you do things right every day, and we’re going to start doing things right today by taking charge of the situation. You need to talk to your teacher and explain yourself and explain what happened. Its not even 9am on a Monday morning. Let’s turn it around, okay?”
“Okay, Ms. G.”
“So what is your goal for today?”
“to turn it around”
“turn what around, S?”
“my behavior and attitude.”
ended the session with a hug and a smile. Sometimes you gotta call someone out to get through. I wish I could take my own advice sometimes.
stay posi, ya’ll
