Ari: This is the worst day ever!
Me: Oh really? Why? Did you have to dig through garbage to find enough metal to sell so that you could buy food? Were you not able to get anything to eat? Did you have to watch your baby suffer because you couldn't afford medicine? Were you cold and wet from the dirty rain with no way to get dry? Did a bulldozer destroy your house? Did anyone you know die? Do you have a mom and a dad? Did you sleep on a piece of cardboard at a dump because that's where you LIVE?!
Ari: No.
Me: OK then, don't ever let me hear you use the term "worst day ever," ever again, my little upper-middle-class American girl with a warm home and plenty of food to eat. You don't even have the right to say that. Any problem you might have is completely solvable.
...So, did anything bad happen today?
Ari: No.
Me: Good.
Me: Oh really? Why? Did you have to dig through garbage to find enough metal to sell so that you could buy food? Were you not able to get anything to eat? Did you have to watch your baby suffer because you couldn't afford medicine? Were you cold and wet from the dirty rain with no way to get dry? Did a bulldozer destroy your house? Did anyone you know die? Do you have a mom and a dad? Did you sleep on a piece of cardboard at a dump because that's where you LIVE?!
Ari: No.
Me: OK then, don't ever let me hear you use the term "worst day ever," ever again, my little upper-middle-class American girl with a warm home and plenty of food to eat. You don't even have the right to say that. Any problem you might have is completely solvable.
...So, did anything bad happen today?
Ari: No.
Me: Good.
6 comments:
That sounds familiar. When Jacob complained about what he didn't get for Christmas I actually showed him the movie trailer that goes along with this book to show him how lucky he is. Problem solved! No more complaining . . . at least for the rest of that day.
I can't wait to read it.
I love that You Tube video of 1st world problems. We. Are. So. Spoiled! :)
Way to go! That's the exact same thing I tell my kids!! Especially when they say, "that's not fair!" Then I say, "you wanna know what's not fair?....." And then I list all the things that you listed and say, "it really isn't fair for them is it?"
SO true..please post a review of the book:)
Perspective! What's the book?
That is a pretty funny conversation, over not funny things. The other day I actually got fed up with my kids complaining about my food. I almost said the starving orphans in CHina.....not a good thing to use in this situation, but I thought about it and explained it better. Kenzie is in Mexico right now on a Humanitarian project. I hope she comes home more grateful!
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