A Voice of Reason from a Surprising Source

[Michael]

This award is presented to my son Andrew

It was Andrew's turn to have a sleepover at mommy's house on Tuesday. She picked him up early in the afternoon, then was planning to take him to a park about 30 minutes away. Unfortunately, she got lost along the way, and it took more than twice as long to get there.

When she realized how far away they were from where they needed to be, she became very upset with herself (read: MAD ). You should also know that Andrew has very little patience for car rides, and typically freaks out if we have even a small delay in our trip - no matter how long or short the ride. If he had lost his temper too, the situation could have become very bad indeed.

Instead, my wife told me that he stayed completely calm, and said something along the lines of "It's OK mommy, we have plenty of time to have fun at the park when we get there. I'm fine." When she thought about that later, she realized what a big help that was to her being able to keep control of her own temper. Who would have thought? We both gave him a lot of praise for how well he maintained control and didn't add any fuel to the fire.

Way to go, Andrew! I'm so proud of him, and thankful that he was able to diffuse a potentially explosive situation. It may not happen often, but in this case his timing was perfect!

[Nicktxdad]

Good for him! That's great!

It may not happen every time, but given the situation, he handled it like a champ.

[Dave]

Three cheers for Andrew! That is something to celebrate. It was probably good for Andrew to see how helpful his choice was to his mother and ultimately made for a more pleasant outing.

[annalong606]

Good for him! That's great!

It may not happen every time, but given the situation, he handled it like a champ.

Yes Well done.

[Ranger_Rick]

It is so nice when our kids surprise us by handling things the right way. He may be growing out of this stage.

[Tissueman]

That is such a sign of his burgeoning maturity. I'm so happy to hear about that. Way to go Andrew!

[John Boy]

Way to go Andrew