Acceptance Session 12

Today we started with a check in of what animal each member of the group felt like. I can feel the kids start to break lose when we do this, it seems like it may be easier for them to express how they feel when it isn't so direct. I will list what animals they chose; at the end of our session we came together before leaving and went around the table so that each member could share why they had picked their animal.

L2 – sloth, he felt slow and tired this morning

M – dog, she felt excited and wild

S1 – puffer fish, she thinks they look funny and she had felt funny and happy

L1 – wolf pulling a sled, L1 felt like she had a lot to accomplish and felt behind.  She said she felt like she was pushing snow out of the way and was not meant for the jobs she needed to do.

H2 – dragon, she felt awesome and ready for a challenge and at the same time was feeling short tempered

H1 – death lyger (which he described is a mythical creature), he felt like a mythical creature today because his friend from school was sick and he felt unseen and a little bit alone

H3 – roasted chicken, this would fall more in the food category in my opinion but he likes roasted chicken and felt awesome and likable 

T– turtle, she felt slow and tired

K – horse, K shared that she thinks horses have good and bad days just like her.  K also shared that when she is at the Club and school she feels like a wild and free horse, and at home recently she has been feeling differently.

It’s exciting to see how our group is becoming more comfortable with one another and really sharing how they are feeling. I appreciate the creativity in their answers and although some may not be actual animals, I felt as long as they were able to tie it in and explain their thoughts and feelings it didn’t really matter.  In the end they were speaking openly to one another and relating in a positive way.

We had two group members who still needed a chance to share about their experience giving away their “I believe “ charms so we started with this after check in.

S1 – gave one charm to a friend who she thought it would help to feel better.  She gave her second charm to a teen here at the Club, Jenny, who recently started working with S1 in math. She said she thought it was really nice of Jenny to help her and that Jenny was happy to receive the charm.  On a side note, I have noticed S1’s attitude change quite bit in the last two weeks since receiving individual help in math, she seems happier to come to Manadoob and told me it’s because she feels good she got her homework done!

L2 – gave his first charm to his mom who he shared thought it was sweet. He gave his second charm to his mom as well, but to pass on to her boss for him. He told us that she is very sick and thought it might help. His mom informed him that her boss was thankful for the charm.

When discussing questions one and two in chapter 16, Acceptance, L1 shared that when something is especially hard to accept she tries to think about it in a different way and sometimes this helps her to keep going. She shared that one thing she has accepted is her bunny dying, as she has shared with us in a past session.  L1 told the group that her mom had made her a stuffed animal bunny to help her. H2 said that moving to Bend was hard for her because she moved away from her family and the coast which she feels connected to. H1 chose to give some advice (which related to the Moobiki hint) that no one else can control your life but you, that it is up to each person to choose to react or accept things. M agreed with H1 by saying she liked that. (This was great, M stayed very focused and contributed in an appropriate way, I gave her a thumbs up and she responded with a giant smile on her face). S1 told about how winning or losing sports has been hard for her to accept. Her mom asks her to play at least one sport each year and when she was very young she felt it was hard to really understand winning and losing and the feelings with each. L2 and H3 related to one another in what they chose to share; L2 had a close friend move away from him when he was younger and H3 was a friend who moved away from another. M shared a time when it was hard to accept a fight with a friend because it was difficult for her to understand it.  T described moving away from a friend and how her friend had given her a charm that made it easier for T to accept moving.

Again, everyone had something great to say during our discussion about self talk when kids bully and what we should do when we witness the bullying of a person or animal. L1 tries to be really nice to a person if they are bullying. I asked the group if they had ever heard the term “kill with kindness” and they all answered with nods and yes’s. T shared a very insightful thought that maybe the person bullying is being treated that way at home or somewhere else and we talked about this for a few minutes. We agreed that trying to understand may be a nice way to help someone. K felt very strongly that if she thought it was safe to do so she would try to step in and stop the bullying. H1 would try to give advice he has in the past given to his brother, which was if you are angry try to find another way to express it like using a punching bag. H2 feels like she bullies back when she sees bullying. She says that she tries to make them understand how it feels. I asked if she wanted some support from the group about this in the form of advice and she stated that she just wanted to share it and get it out. H2 is consistently brave in her sharing with the group and I hope this will continue. I hope that this group will help H2 to become more trusting of others and open to the possibility of positive outcomes rather than expecting the worst. L1 shared a story about her experience at a local agency serving homeless animals where she was able to advocate for an animal she felt needed more medical attention. She expressed her happiness to be able to take on this role and explained the steps she took to do this, including voicing her opinion with the support of a trusted adult.

Next week we will start Chapter 17 in the workbook and continue on reading if we have time. I am grateful to be able to share these experiences with this group of Club Members. I am proud to see them starting to take ownership of this group and really reach out to one another.