Anger is one letter short of danger.

I often struggle in deciding how much I am willing to share on this blog. Especially when it comes to my children. On one side, I desire this to be a place of honesty and transparency. On the other, I realize that the internet, it isn't the safest of places (How do you like that major understatement?). I also would never want to do anything that might disrespect someone else. Especially my children. On yet another side, I think that there a many things that our family has gone through that might encourage or equip others.

One of my children is struggling through the grief process right now. His dad died when he was a little under two years old. He is seven now and feeling the loss acutely. He's been stuck in the anger phase for awhile. I am not going into detail about his anger, but I do want to share some techniques that are working well for us. These are just simple things that equip him to manage his emotions. Most of them offer a release, a way to let out some of the frustration he's feeling.

The first thing we developed hangs on the refrigerator. The "MAY/MAY NOT" chart has been a lifesaver, and, to my utter surprise, he loves it. He loves knowing that there are boundaries AND choices. When he starts to feels his anger rise, he will go to the frig and weigh his choices. Does he do it everytime? Absolutely NOT. But we are practicing, and eventually it will become habit. We each signed it, saying that we all agree to do our best to follow it as a family contract.

More than anything, I wanted him to know that there is nothing wrong with being angry. It's what we do with our anger that causes problems. Here are a few of the techniques that have worked well for us.

Moon sand Play-DohRipping up old magazines and newspapers
Art is a powerful tool to let me see what going on inside his little heart.

Hugging his puppies is another tool he chooses quite often.I know a lot of these techniques may sound elementary to you, but I am amazed at

how well they work for us.

This is my post for Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in my Dryer.