Mindful Zoo

This is an exercise for kids in their late 3s or older.  At the end of the day, ask your kids: What happened today that made you [smile/happy]?

When I started this with my kids, they automatically told me negative things e.g. Suzy hit me and I cried and stuff like that.  And I was like man, who was it that said our brains are Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones?  Geez, even my four year olds are bitching first and looking for the good stuff later.

Then I started asking this question every day.  Now they are running up to me when I arrive at their school “MOMMY I WORKED ON MOVABLE ALPHABET TODAY AND THAT MADE ME HAPPY!”

Challenge option: when they are finished, tell them one thing in your day that you are grateful for.  I realized I needed to do this one day when I asked Cricket and Buzzy Bee the daily what-made-you happy question and I was near tears because of my own day.  I think I’d been in a lot of pain that day so it was a hard thing to do. I really had to dig, but I did it.

Gratitude: it’s not just for Thanksgiving Day!!!