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Magic Spell for Bad Days

I wish I had known this wonderful hack when J was younger and came home "pouty". Though these events were relatively infrequent, they could take up all the air in the room for as long as the episode lasted. The remedy described here is almost a hundred percent sure to work if used on a child of the right age:

I made Alex run around and get a glass of water, a pen and two pieces of paper. I asked him to draw the moon (with as much realistic detail as possible) on one piece of paper and tape it on the wall. On the other piece, I made him write as many bad words (including swears!) as he could while I timed him, then crumple it up and put it in the glass of water. While the paper disintegrated, he had to tell me what had gone wrong that day. He told me about a misunderstanding with his teacher, and then I made him spin around five times while listening to Led Zeppelin’s ‘The Ocean.’

I am in awe of parents who are so creative and are able to take unpleasant situations like the one described and turn them into into a favorite childhood memory for their kid. It takes a lot of emotional intelligence and zen. Alex is one lucky kid!

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