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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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SPOILED BRAT
As a former teacher, I often find myself observing kids without realizing it. That was the case when I encountered a family on vacation here on San Juan Island. They were waiting for a whale watching cruise, and the four-year-old was not a happy camper. He wanted a bag of cheese puffs he'd seen, but Mom and Dad would not buy it. Having observed the situation for a bit, I knew that the family had just eaten burgers and fries. I also knew that they had shared a large chocolate bar for dessert. Now they were waiting to go out on a boat to see Orca whales, porpoises, seals, bald eagles and other wildlife. Yet none of this impressed the little boy who wanted a bag of cheese puffs. So he sat down right where he was and made himself miserable. He pouted, but that got him nowhere. He cried, but that didn't help with acquiring the cheese puffs. Mostly, he just sat quietly and forgot about all the wonderful things that were filling his day because he wasn't getting a bag of junk food he could get any time, anywhere in the country. His parents tried to focus his attention on the great things happening to him, but he was determined to be miserable; and he succeeded. As I watched the drama unfold, I labeled the child a spoiled brat. Then it hit me that I was being very hypocritical, for I often do the very same thing in a slightly different way. I don't usually sit on the ground to pout and cry when I don't get something I want, but I do whine and complain. Just like this child, I forget about all the bounty in my life because some little something -- usually something unimportant in the scheme of the universe -- isn't coming my way.
© 2003 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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