Page 29 - GM-Don't Bee Angry

PARENT NOTES DON’T BEE ANGRY
TOPIC: Accepting that anger is frequently the result of Stinky Thinking and that it can become a habit leading to unhappiness.
It is typical for children and many adults to see their anger as being caused by others or situations. They think that they have no control over this emotion and that their behavior caused by their anger is justifiable or at least excusable.
This story is important in our effort to address the epidemic of anger in our society. In much of our society, anger is seen an acceptable response to any frustrating or annoying situation. To some, it is an appropriate response to any perceived threat or insult. As such, it is the “first line of defense” in the coping repertory of many children.
Some parents are dumbfounded when they learn that aggressive behavior, resulting from the angry emotions is unacceptable in a day-care or school environment. It should be obvious that this systemic anger will ultimately cause the individual to be ostracized or that it may lead to substance abuse as a way of dealing with the problems this anger causes.
But the negative consequences of anger do little to motivate those who are habitually angry or who have been reinforced to use it as a means of intimidation. Although anger problems are now being seen more and more in younger children, it is still seen as an older child or adolescent problem.
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