FIVE MINUTE FRIDAY
‘Slow down.’
‘Take a breath.’
‘Pause for a moment.’
‘Wait and lets walk through this slowly.’
These are all sayings I am familiar with. Maybe you are to. I speak them to my kids when they are trying to finish their school work or rush through a chore, but not so much when they are wildly racing around. Or I try to sneak in a ‘slow down’ comment when addressing an escalating conflict and trying to prevent a meltdown over a problem that has become a mountain instead of the mole hill it really is.
Slowing down doesn’t only apply to our busy schedules. Usually we can pin point a hectic day, or overwhelming plan. How often do we take stock of the speed we try to accomplish daily tasks. How do we teach our children to take in to account the pace at which they face challenges and chores. If my children slow down enough to read a math problem, what initially created their frustration usually resolves itself, resulting in an easier question. They can see all the factors and clearly address the goal. Or if they focus on the fact that all they need to do is put their clothes away, 5, 10 or 15 items, finishing doesn’t take long. When they narrow in on the reward, or are eager to get to the next activity, it becomes the only thing they see. They are racing so fast they stumble, become angry, aggravated and are unsure of how to get back up and reach the end. We need to work on giving them the building blocks and processing skills that say step back, slow down, start with one thing. One small thing. Often reaching the other side of a problem can be quick and without emotional turmoil, but we need to slow down. We need to sit with them, demonstrate an unhurried approach to small tasks, so that big ones will still appear manageable.
This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!
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