My fourth grader . . .

earned big points with her teacher the other day. It was a particularly stressful morning and things weren’t going well. Despite having been in school for several weeks, with the same morning routine every day, the students were having trouble remembering what to do next. The teacher was becoming increasingly exasperated. Sensing this, my daughter raised her hand, and when called upon, said, “Mrs. (name), your hair looks really nice today.” The teacher laughed, and shared with me later that my daughter’s comment was exactly what she needed at that moment – to think about something else. Good lesson. When we are at our breaking point, perhaps it’s a perfect time to think about something else. The other lesson, of course, is that when you are with someone who is about to explode, give them a compliment. You may just diffuse the situation!