Don't be embarrassed...

It's natural to have ANTs in the summertime!

Julia sat down at the picnic table at the family reunion and reached for the mustard.  She accidentally knocked over her cup of lemonade spilling it right into her lap!

Olaf stepped up to home plate in the neighborhood kickball game.  The pitcher rolled the ball toward him.  Olaf wound up for a big kick to center field – and missed the ball entirely.

When you picture summertime you think of relaxation, free time, fun and enjoyment.  Yet life sometimes has a way of happening that can derail the fun – if we allow it to.  ANTs show up at many summertime activities besides picnics!

One common ANT (Automatic Negative Thought) is the Embarrassed ANT.  The Embarrassed ANT is the one who may have popped into Julia’s mind when she spilled the lemonade or Olaf’s mind when he missed the ball.  We have a choice in how we handle the Embarrassed ANT.  We even have a choice in whether the Embarrassed ANT shows up at all.  For example, Julia or Olaf could have simply laughed at the situation and gone on from there.  What would your child have done?  Does she have coping skills that would allow her to continue the rest of the day happily, or would that single event spell disaster for the rest of the afternoon?

If your child has attended our after school programs, he has already learned about the Fear ANT and the Cant ANT.  The Embarrassed ANT is one of many more ANTs that the children are introduced to at Kid Empowerment summer camps.  More importantly, they are taught tools and strategies so that when life presents a difficult situation, they can move on successfully.  Here are a few straight forward yet powerful ANT Smashing Techniques we share with the children to help them ward off the Embarrassed ANT….. read more.

Humor, when used appropriately, is wonderful at busting up uncomfortable situations.  Humor It!  is a terrific ANT Smasher for the Embarrassed ANT.  Simply take a deep breath, and think, “It’s all good!”  See the humor in it and LAUGH! Sometimes kids seem to know how to do this naturally others can be taught.  Have you ever seen a child have a good belly laugh kid, enjoying himself instead of feeling uncomfortable?  Seriously, we just don’t have to take ourselves so seriously! If you are planning to teach this strategy to your child, the key to teaching this is to do it when everything is okay, not at the time when the child is having the ANT.

Another method for smashing the Embarrassed ANT is Wrap It!   To Wrap It! picture in your mind something that causes you to feel happy.   Help your child to think of her puppy or his favorite vacation and to feel that good, happy feeling.  Then imagine wrapping himself up in that feeling.  AND, remember to SMILE!

Try this experiment:  Ask everybody to put a genuine, big smile on their faces.  Now hold that smile for 20 seconds!  In just twenty seconds, notice how the mood in the family can improve with just a smile!

Nancy Sheain & Kathy Norton

Building Futures, LLC

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