Being Supported Feels Good
Suppose you wake up in the morning and discover your alarm has not gone off. Your children are still in bed, and there is a lot to be done. You feel tense and hurried. While you are fixing breakfast, you see smoke curling out of the toaster. Your husband walks into the kitchen and says, “Now you have burned the toast! Can’t you ever do anything right?” How would you react?
Image the same situation. This time when your husband walks into the kitchen he says, “If you set the timer on two instead of three, this wouldn’t happen. Let me show you how you should have done it.” How would you react?
Visualize the scene again. This time your husband comes in and says, “Oh, Honey, what a frustrating morning for you! First the alarm and now the toast. You must be wondering what next!” Being supported feels good.
from “How to Get Kids to Help at Home”, page 22, 23
