Last week, while working with a small group of students, a little boy had a tantrum because he did not get his way. It was shortly after I had said, “We will be reading this again, so if we don’t get our first choice of characters, there is no reason to get upset.” Evidently, my words didn’t register. The tears and the tantrum began as soon as another boy chose the role he wanted. His tantrum sparked the other student to offer him the role as ‘the wolf’ but I held my ground.
Every day, we are faced with situations where we do not get our way: disappointments, frustrations and curveballs. Tantrums and tears rarely improve the situation.
Recently I came across a quote by Annette Funicello: “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.” In fact, disappointments, frustrations and curveballs sometimes lead to new discoveries or the uncovering of hidden talents. And often, it is in the face of adversity, that the kindness and compassion of others is revealed.
Life is wonderful. There are reminders all around us: the tiny feet of a newborn babe, the warm sunshine, the memories of a recent holiday, the genuine kindness of family and friends. Annette Funicello was right: there is no need for perfection.
P.S. The little boy did get to play the role of the wolf… the second read through.
I just read a research page about this very thing. 10 years ago people were faced with a dozen ‘disappointments’ per day; Now we can expect 28 per day.
Incredible! Yet somehow I am not surprised.
This is a reminder of how necessary it is to develop coping skills for when life does not go our way: and it will “not” sooner or later.