Behavior booster: Finding common ground

Spirited kids sometimes have trouble with a particular teacher. Maybe their personalities clash. Maybe the teacher is very strict and cracks down on certain behaviors more than other teachers, which can throw a kid off. Maybe the teacher has high learning expectations for the child or presents material in a way that's harder for the child to understand.

This may even work as it relates to a classmate your child clashes with.

Whatever it is, after handling anything that needs handling on your part, I am trying a new way to help Brady deal with challenging relationships he encounters. And that is helping him to see areas he has in common with that person.

So far, for one teacher in particular, it seems to be working (I thank God every day this kid listens to me as if I know what I'm talking about! I sure hope I say the right things as that comes with great responsibility). I said, "Well, you both like working hard and doing math, right?"

Brady: "Yeah. I have to admit that."

Me: "You both like sports, right?"

Brady: "Yeah, that's true."

And lastly we decided they both thought this teacher's children were pretty cool. He has had a lot less to say about the situation, so I think, I hope, he is seeing this teacher in a different light and if he can do that, he can change his part of the interaction. Really, at the end of the day, that's all that can change in many situations. We change how we think and act.

And seeing things different might be the first way to make those changes. We'll see how it goes from here :)