Removing negativity
Tam
I just wanted to share a moment of how mine and my son's night was made lovelier by things I've read here recently.
I've been pondering recently on things that have been written here about negativity.
Tonight my younger son, Jay (4), and I went out for some one on one time to the arcade. After a bit of zombie shooting and some air hockey, he chose a game where the balls fall down and you steer the bucket underneath them. We put our pound in, the balls came down, and... the bucket was stuck. We spoke to the staff member who said she couldn't give us our money back as they didn't own the machine, I'd have to call the games machine company in another city.
The first thing to go through my head was to complain, to say how ridiculous it was, to ask to see the manager, to say how I knew it didn't have to work like that as I'd had games machines in my restaurants, how unfair it was that they were just going to keep our money (this is what my parents would have done when I was a kid, and they would have gone on about it all evening too)... then I remembered the things I'd been reading about negativity, and thought, really? I'm going to let frustration over one pound infuse Jay's evening with negativity?
So I smiled and said, "Don't worry about it," and empathised with Jay and asked him what he fancied playing instead, and we went on to continue having a fun night together. In the car on the way home in the dark he looked at me and sighed and said, "Mummy? I love Mummy and Jay time. We had lots of fun! We go there again soon?" And I could honestly say yes I'd had fun, without having tainted it with a moan or a complain. And yes we'd go again. It took effort that time to keep the irritation in my head, but hopefully the more I can focus on not bringing negativity the more naturally it will come.
So thank you.
Tam
I've been pondering recently on things that have been written here about negativity.
Tonight my younger son, Jay (4), and I went out for some one on one time to the arcade. After a bit of zombie shooting and some air hockey, he chose a game where the balls fall down and you steer the bucket underneath them. We put our pound in, the balls came down, and... the bucket was stuck. We spoke to the staff member who said she couldn't give us our money back as they didn't own the machine, I'd have to call the games machine company in another city.
The first thing to go through my head was to complain, to say how ridiculous it was, to ask to see the manager, to say how I knew it didn't have to work like that as I'd had games machines in my restaurants, how unfair it was that they were just going to keep our money (this is what my parents would have done when I was a kid, and they would have gone on about it all evening too)... then I remembered the things I'd been reading about negativity, and thought, really? I'm going to let frustration over one pound infuse Jay's evening with negativity?
So I smiled and said, "Don't worry about it," and empathised with Jay and asked him what he fancied playing instead, and we went on to continue having a fun night together. In the car on the way home in the dark he looked at me and sighed and said, "Mummy? I love Mummy and Jay time. We had lots of fun! We go there again soon?" And I could honestly say yes I'd had fun, without having tainted it with a moan or a complain. And yes we'd go again. It took effort that time to keep the irritation in my head, but hopefully the more I can focus on not bringing negativity the more naturally it will come.
So thank you.
Tam
Sandra Dodd
-=- then I remembered the things I'd been reading about negativity, and thought, really? I'm going to let frustration over one pound infuse Jay's evening with negativity?-=-
Tam, that was a good story. I probably wouldn't have done as well as you did.
It's interesting to think, though, of how many families pay a counsellor big money to help them untangle their hostilities and aversions to one another, when maybe if they could have been more patient about spills, breakages, mistakes, broken vending machines or games, they would still be a head financially, if it prevented the counselling. And they would be on a whole better trajectory, emotionally.
It doesn't work for Brits, but this is a note to Americans: If you go to the U.K., go to an arcade. Any seaside town will have a big one. Get a one pound coin, or a 50p piece. Go to the change machine and get change. THAT IS IT!!! THE HUGE WIN!!! It's like a slot machine in Las Vegas. You will need a BIG CUP, about the size of a two-scoop Baskin Robbin's cup, and it will be FULL of coins the size of a quarter (2p).
Then give those to local kids and put another 50 p coin in.
That could be fun for hours.
Any family that's had a child crying or a parent being hateful.... if they could only take a deep breath and pay one pound, or $1.50, for a half an hour time travel to go back and be nicer, it would be a heck of a bargain!!
Sandra
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Tam, that was a good story. I probably wouldn't have done as well as you did.
It's interesting to think, though, of how many families pay a counsellor big money to help them untangle their hostilities and aversions to one another, when maybe if they could have been more patient about spills, breakages, mistakes, broken vending machines or games, they would still be a head financially, if it prevented the counselling. And they would be on a whole better trajectory, emotionally.
It doesn't work for Brits, but this is a note to Americans: If you go to the U.K., go to an arcade. Any seaside town will have a big one. Get a one pound coin, or a 50p piece. Go to the change machine and get change. THAT IS IT!!! THE HUGE WIN!!! It's like a slot machine in Las Vegas. You will need a BIG CUP, about the size of a two-scoop Baskin Robbin's cup, and it will be FULL of coins the size of a quarter (2p).
Then give those to local kids and put another 50 p coin in.
That could be fun for hours.
Any family that's had a child crying or a parent being hateful.... if they could only take a deep breath and pay one pound, or $1.50, for a half an hour time travel to go back and be nicer, it would be a heck of a bargain!!
Sandra
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Virginia Warren
We're at Chuck E. Cheese today for the first time in maybe three years. I
mean right now. I'm writing this in front of the animatronic band. I had a
crappy attitude about the place. This morning, my girls were watching a
video on YouTube of other kids at Chuck E. Cheese and I realized how mean
it was not to take them.
Virginia
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mean right now. I'm writing this in front of the animatronic band. I had a
crappy attitude about the place. This morning, my girls were watching a
video on YouTube of other kids at Chuck E. Cheese and I realized how mean
it was not to take them.
Virginia
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tam
--Get a one pound coin, or a 50p piece. Go to the change machine and get change. THAT IS IT!!! THE HUGE WIN!!! It's like a slot machine in Las Vegas. You will need a BIG CUP, about the size of a two-scoop Baskin Robbin's cup, and it will be FULL of coins the size of a quarter (2p). --
Haha we did this tonight! We spent ages putting 2p pieces in the penny push machines (don't know the actual name for these!), and got about five coins back, then went and got change and Jay was so excited by the avalanche of 2p's :D SO much fun!
Tam
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Haha we did this tonight! We spent ages putting 2p pieces in the penny push machines (don't know the actual name for these!), and got about five coins back, then went and got change and Jay was so excited by the avalanche of 2p's :D SO much fun!
Tam
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