3.12.2011

Therapy.

Last Monday, during sharing, Andy was not in a sharing mood. When it was his turn he sulked, “My name is Andy and…”

Following the ‘and…’ came a sour face. After a minute of waiting (why does a minute of silent waiting in kindergarten feel like an eternity?), we moved on. Clearly Andy had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

The rest of his Monday wasn’t much better. He was basically crabby the entire day. Andy has mastered what my mom would call the ‘sour puss’ face and it was on display all day long. Ugh.

Tuesday morning, after Andy arrived and had taken off his coat and put his backpack away, I summoned him over.

“Andy, I want you to have a better day today,” I began.

“Did you get a good night’s sleep?” I asked.

He nodded.

“What can I do to help make it a better day?” I inquired.

“I dunno, maybe a hug?” He wondered.

If Andy thought a hug would improve his day, who was I to argue? With that, I gave him a big, tight hug.

Well wouldn’t you know, his morning was fantastic. After lunch, during Quiet Time, I called him over to check in.

“Your morning was wonderful, keep it up,” I encouraged.

He gave me another hug before returning to his seat.

We repeated this ‘hug therapy’ the rest of the week. Andy’s mood seemed much improved. I’m not sure if it was the hugs or something else, but who am I to argue with the power of a hug? On Monday, I’ll be sure to start Andy’s day with a hug in hopes of keeping him in a good mood from the get go. Who am I kidding… the hugs put a smile on my face too.

2 comments:

Deborah J Stewart said...

I love it Matt! How can you stay mad all day when you know someone love you and takes just a minute to show it! Perhaps he wasn't aware that he had such a sour face and that it mattered.

Mrs. Pearce said...

Thanks for reminding us that spending just a few precious moments with a child can make a world of difference in their day. Hugs are the best...no matter how old we are!