Un-happiness project

So I'm reading the book, The Happiness Project, which is a New York Time's best seller, and well written and inherently interesting. Except I'm having that kind of summer, so I just feel guilty reading about all the ways that an already inherently happy woman worked to make her self happier.

So on the chapter about kids, I braced my self. She endorsed the book, How to Talk so Kids Listen and I felt and instant pang of guilt. I figured that I don't do this well. Then she went on to explain several tactics that work on kids, almost all of which I already use! I was so delighted. I even had a moment where I thought, how can you have a 7-year-old and not have figured out that kids often largely just need to be understood?

So when Beck is throwing a tantrum I say, I can see that your frustrated and you'd rather stay outside. And often as not, the tantrum ends.

Or the tactic of putting a positive spin. So instead of saying, no, you can't have a snack now, you say, it's dinner time in a few minutes so you'll get to eat something soon.

Then I didn't feel so bad. And maybe even felt a bit superior. I think this is what of comes of having 5 kids. You can't not figure this stuff out.