Freeze!

My middle child can be described by many adjectives: intense, passionate, spirited, and strong-willed are just a few of them. I admittedly have struggled at times to parent her in a way that cuts down on frustration and accomplishes our daily goals.

Recently I had a spark of inspiration, and introduced a new strategy. Whenever someone is starting to feel cranky, we holler, "FREEZE!" We then brainstorm ways to get that person into a better mood. This could be a hug, a high-five, a silly dance, a nap, etc.

This strategy works about 20% of the time, but hey, 20% is better than 0%!

I came home from work the other day and shared a story of a coworker who was frustrated with her assignment that shift. Middle Child piped up, "Did you tell her to freeze?"