Is your kid stuck with stinkin’ thinkin’?

Stinkin’ thinkin’ is when we start saying to ourselves things like: “I will never be good at something,” “I never win,” “I stink at math.”  

It is not just our kids that get caught in this negative self-talk — we do too.

When we hear our kids slip into this, remind them to use the claim it – name it – tame it method.

Does doing bad on one assignment mean we are bad at all of it?  If we don’t break a board on the first try, does that mean we will never break a board?  Of course not. Yes, we get frustrated and down on ourselves, but we can turn that around.

A good “trick” is to ask them what they would say to someone else. “What would you say to your friend if they did bad on a math test?” Kids will usually give the right answers to others, they just need to say it to themselves.

Thanks, and we will see you on the mat!
-Master Helsdon