How many Psychologists does it take to teach you to "self talk"?

Details: Published on Thursday, 07 February 2013 12:03

Maybe it just takes a six-year-old.

P8110039 Long ago, I learned the value of self-talk, in regard to positive thinking. On any given day you might hear me say something like, "Sure. It really stinks that xyz happened. However, it could be far worse. ZYX might have happened, instead, and the consequences could have been ________."

Two nights ago, I was getting my kids ready for bed. They begged to sleep in the parent's room, on the floor, with their night light. They wanted a little parent/kid sleepover. We agreed but told them, "If you don't go to sleep, you'll have to sleep in your own rooms." They carried on with each other playing, laughing, tackling one another and screaming at the top of their lungs. They were keeping the baby awake.

My daughter choose to calm down but my son refused. He screamed and jumped around and in turn, I put him into his own bed. He began to cry. My daughter came over to me and said, "Mom. How about this? Can I try something with him, please? Can I explain to him that he needs to think about what he does before doing it, and make a better choice? Maybe it will work." I agreed to let her try.

She went to her brother (age 4) and said, "Okay, listen. Every time you think about screaming, remind yourself in your head that mom will make you sleep in your room. And then DON'T scream! Understand?"

I was laughing pretty hard...she was attempting to teach him to "self talk." What a fun moment!