Parting Thoughts: It’s Harvest Time!

Sit up and Listen Folks! The harvest is soon upon us and unless you do some prep work you are in for a surprise! This is the time of the year when your children will be “harvesting” all the great growing, experiences and learning they did over the spring and summer. This is how it will look:

They will be testing out new techniques on you.

They will be retesting old techniques.

They will be checking to see if you mean what you say and that your boundaries are solid.

They will be undergoing rapid assimilation of everything they experienced over the last two seasons and as the dust settles will manifest emotional upheaval. Especially around the harvest moon. Sure, I know that the naysayers amongst you are shaking your heads in disbelief that the full moon has ANY effect. Well let me tell you! After 26 years in the “kid business”, I KNOW that in little bodies consisting of 90+% water those gravitational pulls are awesome!
Sooo....

Expect tantrums, melt downs, back talk, power struggles and general weepiness, both from yourselves and the little ones. Here’s why:

This is part of the process of learning. Picture this graph. While learning we all experience a rapid incline while taking in new information, then a leveling off AND before the learning is cemented an actual regression! Then the process repeats. The harvest represents that regression, so take heart that your children are on their way to completing a cycle and gearing up for the next.

Here’s what you do:

Sit everyone down and discuss it! (By the way, I am always so surprised that many of you do not think to sit down and discuss stuff with your kids. AND I don’t want to hear any lame excuses about them or you being too young, too old, too busy, too disinterested, too too too....)

Decide together how you will each take care of yourselves.

Set up those nests and feel-better spots. Role play at neutral moments how to use them. Do it several times. Make it fun.

Model going to your spot when you need to feel better.

When your child forgets to go to her spot go there yourself. Do it as many times as needed until she gets it.

Decide together how you will handle power struggles and back talk.
REMEMBER! Either decide together OR decide what you will do, not what you will make your child do.

Act without talking.

Take time for training.

Talk to your child with the love and respect you show cherished friends.

Treat the entire family, yourself included, with patience, kindness and firmness.