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Fishful Thinking: Positive Habits

I recently attended my very first meeting as a Fishful Thinking faculty member. And I cannot even begin to tell you how inspiring it is to listen to everyone! The meeting was only an hour long, but could have easily gone on for a lot longer – with very few complaints from everyone who was there!

Anyway, the meeting kicked my butt into gear for another wonderful year of Fishful Thinking. One of the things we chatted about was concentrating on the positive things in life rather than the negative. (An incredible example that was shared by Kelli, and then expanded on, was a Warm Fuzzy chart where the kids identify kind acts in each other and award warm fuzzies for the kind act. I’m  SO doing that in my house!)

To get my kids starting to think more positive thoughts, I did the Positive Habits activity with each kid – individually. Here are their (unedited, mostly unprompted) answers. (Keep in mind that we were outside while discussing these; I suspect if we were inside, I would have gotten much different answers!)

Maggie – Age 5.5

What are some things that you can do today that you weren’t able to do one year ago?

  • Flips
  • Dress up
  • Hug my mommy
  • Swing
  • Ride my bike
  • Hula Hoop

How does it feel to do those things?

  • Happy!
  • Really, REALLY happy!

What are some things you’ll likely be able to do a year from now that you can’t yet do?

  • Easter Hunt
  • Show things at school I really like (like flips)
  • Swim without noodles

What is a positive habit that you’d like to begin?

  • Draw
  • Eat more salad
  • Make nice soup

What are three things that we can do together to help develop this positive habit?

  • Plant salad stuff
  • Go to a farmer together
  • Go to the store together

Burke – Age 5.5

What are some things that you can do today that you weren’t able to do one year ago?

  • Make snow angels
  • Play baseball
  • Play Freeze ball/freeze tag
  • Hula Hoop

How does it feel to do those things?

  • Good! (with a BIG smile)

What are some things you’ll likely be able to do a year from now that you can’t yet do?

  • Skateboard
  • Ride my bike without training wheels
  • Draw
  • Eat lunch at school

What is a positive habit that you’d like to begin?

  • Practice baseball
  • Practice reading

What are three things that we can do together to help develop this positive habit?

  • Give kisses and hugs
  • Throw a ball back and forth
  • Find books at the library
  • Play at the playground

Logan – Age 3

What are some things that you can do today that you weren’t able to do one year ago?

  • Baseball
  • Dig holes
  • Feed myself

How does it feel to do those things?

  • Good! (with a BIG smile)

What are some things you’ll likely be able to do a year from now that you can’t yet do?

  • Baseball better
  • Swing in Burke and Maggie’s swings (out of his baby swing)
  • Climb poles
  • ABCs

What is a positive habit that you’d like to begin?

  • Practice baseball

What are three things that we can do together to help develop this positive habit?

  • Go to a baseball game
  • swing a baseball bat
  • throw my shoes

Maggie – Age 5.5

What are some things that you can do today that you weren’t able to do one year ago?

  • Flips
  • Dress up
  • Hug my mommy
  • Swing
  • Ride my bike
  • Hula Hoop

How does it feel to do those things?

  • Happy!
  • Really, REALLY happy!

What are some things you’ll likely be able to do a year from now that you can’t yet do?

  • Easter Hunt
  • Show things at school I really like (like flips)
  • Swim without noodles

What is a positive habit that you’d like to begin?

  • Draw
  • Eat more salad
  • Make nice soup

What are three things that we can do together to help develop this positive habit?

  • Plant salad stuff
  • Go to a farmer together
  • Go to the store together

Warm Fuzzies

Yesterday’s post reminded me of a great children’s book called A Warm Fuzzy Tale. You can actually read the story in its entirety here. The basic premise is that the people of the land gave away warm fuzzies freely until an evil witch makes them think that they’ll run out. (The warm fuzzies are actual things they carry around in a bag with them.) So they start giving away cold pricklies disguised as warm fuzzies. . . and well, just read the story 🙂

When I was a Girl Scout leader, we read this to our Brownies and talked about giving out warm fuzzies versus cold pricklies and which they’d rather get and all that. We even made warm fuzzies (just yarn pompoms) to share. When my Stitch & B*tch met last month, I even found some of these warm fuzzies in my yarn bag – and let me tell you…they work! LOL

There have been some criticisms that this isn’t for children because they talk about people dying from lack of warm fuzzies…let me just say “oy.” I understand protecting your kids from bad things, but seriously … have you ever heard of overprotecting your kids? This is a *STORY* and like most fairy tales has some dark in it (see my Scary Disney Movie post if you’re not already convinced). But also like most fairy tales has a great message.

Do you spread warm fuzzies or cold pricklies?