It was another one of those times when the idea popped into my head and I didn't really think about it before I was doing it. Here is what happened:
This morning I gave my kid a "brave pill." It was my brain's answer to the problem of a bad swimming lesson yesterday, meets pending swimming lesson today, meets candy jar sitting near the coffee machine.
"What?!?!" you say. Sorry, I'll back up.
Yesterday, my three-year old started swim class. Within about 7.5 minutes from the start of class, he went from big boy excited to be in his own class, to wrapping his soaking wet little body around me screaming. We sat by the pool, and waited out the remainder of the class with him barely daring to put his toes in the water.
This morning, I was somewhat dreading going back to lessons and having a repeat of yesterday's class. All the while hating that I know he will just love swimming if he would try. As well as fearful that my three-year old was going to send the five other three-year olds in the class into the same crying tailspin.
My favorite thing about my brain is its ability to work on several things at one time. The swimming lessons issue was in desperate need of a solution because I had tried every rational thing I could. Then, in a moment of creative genius (genius because this idea came to me before 10 am and before I had consumed my coffee) this morning, I was plucking a "brave pill" from a jar.
Brave pills, you ask? This brave pill was an orange jelly bean that I waved my magic (wooden spoon) wand over and said "Abracadabra, Allacazam. Turn this into a brave pill for Jack. Viola!" Then, I let him eat said "brave pill." He instantly said he felt braver and stronger. He decreed that he would be getting his hair wet in the pool.
Of course, his sister then needed one too. I performed the transformation on her pink jelly bean.
The whole way to swim class I was so skeptical. I didn't want to get my hopes up. Really, could this simple infusion of bravery work? I was ready to be sitting by the pool again in wet shorts and a tank top while my son sent a class a three-year olds into a tizzy. He continued to insist that he was braver and was going to get his hair wet and be so proud of himself.
When the moment of truth presented itself, he did in fact willingly go with the class to the pool. He got in the pool. He did all the things his coach asked. He even got his hair wet.
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| Kicking with the kickboard |
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| Even jumping in |
I'm not sure why my words of reassurance, my husband's words of reassurance, and even seeing his sister have fun in swimming class weren't enough to ignite his confidence that swim class could be fun. However, telling him that a jelly bean would make him brave is something he can believe in.
Maybe, just sometimes, all one needs is one little magic bean to set the day on the right track.
So, that was my story about a little creativity before my cup of coffee and it worked.
When rational fails, sometimes the magical is what we need.
This Idea works for highschool teens too. The night before final exams, one of my youngest daughters friends spent the night at my house in order to study all night for the exams. They both were very worried and lacked confidence in their ability to do well on the test. At the time, I had been doing research on foods which nourish the brain. It was all fresh in my mind. So I shared the research with them(briefly). I then gave them the "magic pills", fish oil-omega 3's, flax seed oil, and coconut oil, one each while studying, and again in the morning with a good brain-food breakfast. They went into the class room with confidence that they could pass the test. They both aced the test(in the 90's, don't remember the exact numbers). It is perfectly fine to to what ever works and does no harm.
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