It was Monday evening and I had been away from home since morning. The kids had returned from a weekend at their dad's house late Sunday evening, so they really missed spending time with me. When I returned home at 5 PM, Aidan (6) was just beginning a board game with the sitter. Both kids were excited to see me and Cameron (3) was happy to have me to himself for a while.
Once the sitter left, however, the boys began to fight with each other. They were each clamoring for my undivided attention and they would kick and hit each other to get it.
I decided to beat it and breathe. I went to my room and locked the door. The boys were very upset. I opened the door to the patio off my bedroom and went outside. I sat in the sun and marveled at the beauty of the late afternoon. I breathed.
The boys were yelling and shouting, but it gradually faded away. They began to laugh together and play a game together. The game involved a small mess, but as I listened, it sounded as if they were really enjoying it and feeling connected to each other.
After a while, I opened my door. We cleaned up the mess together. Aidan told me he still felt angry. We talked about using the "breathing tool" from his toolbox, but he said it wasn't working and besides the toolbox is only to use at school. I had an idea.
I went to the drawer where I had seen bubbles the a few days ago. We went outside and blew bubbles. I asked him to take in a big breath and then blow all the "angries" out and put them in the bubbles. Then we ran around popping them and watching some float away over the fence and house.
Both kids loved it. Aidan cheered up considerably. He kept saying that he still felt a little angry, and he wanted to keep at the bubbles. After a while, he said he was done. He didn't feel angry anymore. We went inside and continued with our evening peacefully.
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