What Kids Learn

• Let go of anger and disappointment
• Seek out friends who treat you with respect
• Slow down, pitch in, and enjoy the little cutie

Check out the letter recaps in the summaries below or read this month’s top three letters on page 42 of the March 2018 magazine. Then use the prompts that follow to explore important issues with your child.

Ray from North Carolina has a glass half-empty outlook. He wants to be more positive but doesn’t know how to start. We told Ray that it might help to write a list of things he’s grateful for so he can focus on them instead of the things that bother him. Also, we encouraged him to have a sense of humor, and accept that life doesn’t always go as planned.

Questions to ask your kids:

• What do you think it means when someone says he “struggles to have a better attitude”?
• Which of the following words might best describe the way you feel at this very moment: happy, angry, cooperative, frustrated, hopeful, or sad?
• If you were sad or angry, what would you do to feel happier or more hopeful: talk about your worries with someone who could help you, write a gratitude list, volunteer to help others? Anything else?

A reader is hurt because her friend purposely leaves her out of conversations. We suggested that she share her feelings with the friend who excludes her, and reminded her that she deserves friends who treat her with kindness and respect.

Questions to ask your kids:

• Have you ever been excluded from a game, activity, lunch group, or conversation with others?
• How did that make you feel? Sad? Angry?
• Would you be able to tell your friends how being excluded made you feel?
• Do you think your friends left you out unintentionally or on purpose? How could you tell?
• Do you know a way to share your private thoughts with one friend without making others feel left out?

Eden is overwhelmed by the arrival of a brand-new baby brother, which now makes her the oldest kid in the house. We told Eden her parents still love her as much as ever, and said it might be wise to be patient and take on additional responsibilities to help things go more smoothly at home.

Questions to ask your kids:

• What’s the hardest thing about being the oldest kid in the family?
• What’s tough about being the youngest child?
• What’s most likely to change when parents bring home a brand new baby: Wake-up and bedtime schedules? Less alone time with mom and dad? More chores?