Much to what I imagine is the intense chagrin of my eighth grade English teacher, the word “consequence” has become a verb.
As in:
“If you take another cookie without my saying it’s OK, I’m going to consequence you.”
English teachers everywhere grimace when they hear a sentence like that.
“Meltdown” is such a funny word to use for a tantrum.
The word itself actually comes from the nuclear industry. It refers to that horrific moment when the reactor core has burnt out of control, and at any given moment, radioactive dust will spew all over the sky.
OK, let’s talk about oppositional behavior in young kids. Here’s a particularly unpleasant scenario.
You go to pick little Timmy up from preschool, and the teacher asks to have a word with you. Uh-oh. Feels like being called to meet with the principal.
I recall sort of blowing off my concerns that my older daughter wouldn’t welcome her soon-to-be-born sibling. After all, I have a sister, and we get along OK.
Lots of people have siblings. How bad can it be?
One of my mentors helped me to think about this using a simple and telling thought experiment.