A Lesson from the Kids~~~
My family had a tradition of sharing a week away at the beach in the summertime when the kids were off from school. We would all meet up and rent a house and squeeze in some family fun.
I remember one year my niece Morgan, 7 years old at the time, came into the living room where I was sitting, slammed the door, and exclaimed, “I am never playing with Amy again!”
Then she stormed off into the bedroom and slammed that door too.
I knocked.
“Can I come in?” I asked.
“OK,” was the reply.
“Morgan,” I began, “you can continue to be in a bad mood and be mad at Amy or we can go see her now and I will help the two of you work whatever this is out.”
Mediation
Morgan led me to where she and Amy had been playing in Amy’s bedroom. A year younger than Morgan, Amy was 6 years old at this time.
“Girls, let’s sort this out. Morgan, why don’t you start by telling Amy why you are upset.”
“Well, we are playing this game and Amy is not playing by the rules. When you play a game, you should play by the rules.”
I turn to Amy, “What did you hear Morgan say she needs?”
“To play by the rules,” Amy replied.
Then she continued emphatically with her hands on her hips, “But I am just a kid! I have to follow rules all the time so when I am playing I like to make up my own rules!”
I had to try not to smile. This was too cute!
“Morgan, did you hear what Amy needs?”
“She likes to make things up when she plays,” Morgan reiterated.
Amy’s head nods her head up and down in agreement.
“Girls, I think you have to compromise,” I begin to suggest but then I am interrupted by Amy.
“But I am just a kid! I don’t know what compromise is!” she exclaims.
Again I tried to suppress my smile.
“Compromise is when each person gives up a little something they might want so both people can get most of what they want,” was my simplistic definition for these young ones.
Resolution
I continued, “How about you play one game by the rules Morgan’s way and the next game with Amy’s rules? You can take turns. How does this sound?”
They relaxed and smiled and Morgan took her place next to her cousin. No longer holding onto frustration or annoyance, they were happy to be playing together again.
All was right with their world once more.
Sometimes a little compromise can go a long way.
Photo by Eren Li on Pexels.
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