Page 33 - FS-Woolly Whiners

WORKSHEET
Knowing what is wrong is not the same as knowing and doing what
is right. On this page, Cosmos talks about using Good Thinking to change the whining behaviors. He gives examples of how bears deal with difficult and not fun situations. You want your child to change the example of Stinky (whining) Thinking into Good Thinking. You need to encourage them to identify the OK emotions that would accompany this change in thinking.
1. Give an example of changing Stinky Thinking to Good Thinking?
(They can give many example... encourage them to be realistic in their thinking to insure that it is "Good".
2. What type of feelings did you have when you changed Stinky
Thinking into Good Thinking?
(They should recognize that they feel better... less scared or angry, when they use Good Thinking)
CONCLUSION
Whining probably has some value in our evolutionary history. The children of cavemen that whined got the scraps and the quite ones got the bones.
For whatever reason, whining is a very common manipulative behavior of children. As they get older, the whining may get subtle but it is still manipulation. It is still the result of Stinky Thinking and does little to prepare them to be successful and happy adults.
As such, whining that we tolerate in children can become the passive aggressive behavior of adolescents and adults that will not be tolerated.
30