"How to tell if your preschooler is happy"
What do you do when your child's in a slump? We asked BabyCenter parents, who shared their favorite tried-and-true tips to chase away the blues and bring a smile to their child's face.
今天收到babycenter的信，標題正好是這個，不由得讓我有點好奇。
1 The power of praise
Whenever Chloe gets stuck in a crying jag, I try to find something to praise her for. It can be any little move she makes toward calming herself, like going to get herself a tissue or taking a deep breath. She can't help smiling when I do this. Then the meltdown is over and she's able to move on with her day.
— Kate, mother of Chloe, San Francisco
2 Get your ya-yas out
I have a very physical, "spirited" child. It took me forever to realize that whenever Ben was really grumpy or frustrated, what he needed most was to get outside and play or simply run around the house for a few minutes. Even if I'm busy and trying to get ready for dinner, I stop and announce to Ben that it's time for him to "get his ya-yas out." Now he even uses that term when he's feeling out of sorts. Getting his ya-yas out always cheers him up.
— Colleen, mother of Ben, Atlanta, Georgia
帶她出去走走，或許是個good idea!
不過馬麻有點懶，因為現在天氣炎熱，一出去就流汗，況且shin在家裡也可以cheer up，這就讓我更懶得出門了。
3 Take a good mood car wash
One day when my daughter was in a funk, I got the idea of putting her through a car wash that would wash her bad mood away. I have her push an invisible button to enter the "good mood car wash," and then I twirl her around, tickle her, and make silly sounds. She's falling over laughing by the time we're done.
— Sheila, mother of Charlotte, Westport, Connecticut
帶她去洗車？這會不會讓她反而更害怕呢？這恐怕不是立刻解決問題的好方法。
4 Stop and listen
When my older son, age 8, is feeling upset, sometimes he just needs me to listen to him. With kids, we're often in a rush to try to find an answer to their problems or a cure to whatever is bothering them. But I think it's often more helpful to stop everything and be in the moment and simply ask him what's wrong. If he's not ready to talk about it right then, I give him individual attention, play with him, and make sure I'm just there for him.
— Elisse, mother of Noah and Aidan, Berkeley, California
這點倒是很受用！不論小孩幾歲，隨時都可以給她一個時間靜靜地聽小孩說話，隨時把自己置於小孩的高度與心理狀態，給予更多的同理心，知道小孩在想什麼、擔憂什麼...。警惕我自己不要忘了現在的允諾。
5 Foster a social butterfly
My two sons always seem happier when they're surrounded by a group of family and friends. Some of the times I've seen them happiest are at large family gatherings, when they've had a chance to interact with a lot of people they know and love. For that reason, we include our sons as often as possible in social outings. I also like that it teaches my sons about the joy and skills of interacting with many different kinds of people.
— Jim, father of Chris and Alec, San Francisco
我實在不確定自己的小孩是不是個social 的孩子？將她置於一個熱鬧的環境，會不會讓她更不安？等她再長大一點再來觀察看看！
6 Make a pizza
I use the same trick as the dad in William Steig's book Pete's a Pizza. When my daughter's grumpy, I say, "Okay, time to make you into a pizza." I pick her up and knead the dough and toss her in the air, which is really just tickling and gentle roughhousing. Then I sprinkle her with make-believe cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni — another good chance for tickling! Then I plop her in a pretend oven (the couch) and presto, her bad mood is over!
— Fred, father of Hazel, Burlington, Vermont
帶她做pizza?也許不只是pizza，煮飯、在廚房忙也是一種方法，只怪自己不是廚房好手，一直想煮菜、想讓shin記住「媽媽的味道」，這是我未來要努力的！
7 Let the air out
When we're driving in the car and my daughter is feeling upset, we roll the windows down all the way, even if it's freezing out and snowing, and then we blow all the "bad" air out of our bodies. She always feels better afterward and so do I!
— Chandler, mother of Lily, Monterey, Massachusetts
哈哈！這點大概行不通吧！台灣的父母總是擔心太多，若真的下雪天也開窗讓bad air out，恐怕把拔這關就過不了！
