Page 22 - LS_Grizzly Bear Story

In our story, three men are walking in the woods when each is confronted by a grizzly bear. The first man’s automatic thoughts lead him to fight with disastrous results. The second man’s automatic thoughts lead him to flight with the same results. The third man experiences the same thoughts and emotions but holds them in check. This allows him to assess the situation (it is very bad) evaluate alternatives (fight or run or play dead) and stiffen his resolve (“I won’t move even if it pokes me”).
These are the skills that will allow you and your children to not over or under react to a situation and to stay with your decision regardless of the pressures applied. This is a lesson for the child who fights at the least provocation, as well as the child who runs to the teacher/parent to solve their every problem.
They are engaging in these behaviors because of their inability to utilize any other more effective coping skills and because of the reinforcement they occasionally receive when engaging in these “primitive” methods of coping.
Young children should be able to relate to these characters in this story since they have typically had little opportunity to learn other ways of coping with “grizzly bear” situations.
You want them to learn that even though there may be some immediate “reward” to their typical behaviors in these situations, from “getting their way,” to avoiding a difficult task, there are also negative short and long term consequences.
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