Turning disappointment to hopefulness

As adults, we know that life is not fair. Unfortunately, events that range from disappointing to tragic happen to everyone. How well one can move on despite the disappointment determines how happily one can live.

There are several steps to helping a child “move on”.

1. When disappointment happens, it’s time to just listen. Listen and accept what he/she is saying. It’s a good idea not to convince that it’s for the best that this happened. A child needs to express the disappointment freely.

2. Rephrase the child’s disappointment so that he/she can hear you accepting the disappointment.

3. Ask a question that redirects the child to “move on”. i.e. What could you do differently next time? Or what can you do now about it?

This will help the child change thinking patterns from upset to acceptance.

1. The mind can only hold one thought at a time. So if the child is thinking about a solution, the disappointment is no longer on the forefront.

2. Time to suggest doing something fun.