A (19:23)
Look, I have to be honest. It's definitely like a non traditional approach. It's not like I often say this and parents are like, okay, amazing, moving on. They're like, wait, I have some concerns. To me, the places is usually useful is when parents are like all the other things we're trying to do also, like, they're clearly not working. This thing is very powerful. These feelings are forces. And so if they don't have a place to go and where we teach kids to manage them, they will just come out, right? And so I think this is something to track. And I think as parents, we can tell when something is like, oh, wait, this is like turned into something else, right? And I think they should have a time limit. I don't think she'll be there for 45 minutes. Just being like, yeah, like, keep going. Feeds the worst. We wish he was never in our family. And you don't just say it back. You know, again, like, you don't have to join in all the words, but you're kind of saying, these things need to come out of you. And like, we will be a container for you. And I'd say you, you could write them down. We'll be there for five minutes. And then I think like a kind of script or line to have that's helpful is, hey, we did this. I'll come back tomorrow. And like, this time is over today and we're gonna move to something else. Because I know there's actually so many things about you that are so interesting and important that have nothing to do with your brother. And I wanna make sure those things get airtime today. Tell me about recess. You know, tell me about that art project you were doing in school, right? And then you can like make that transition. But I also think the question speaks to something really important. The difference between hearing and kind of validating or trying to understand versus agreeing and condoning and encouraging. I think we conflate those two things a lot. You're already in the space of these words. They just happen to happen around his brother, too. But you saying, this is a place. I can hear you. This is a place where you can say these things. I think we worry that what we end up saying to our kids is, yeah, like, it's awesome to say this. You should just talk about everyone this way. I actually, I don't fear that. I really don't. I think that kids can hold the difference. I really, really do. And you can, even when you present this to him, say, because, look, I actually think that one of our big jobs is gonna be to help you feel good about yourself, which I know we're gonna help you do, while you have a brother who's kind of tricky to have as a brother. And this is where we're at right now. You have a lot of these things that you want to say. We're not going to let them be said in front of your brother for both of your sake. And so we're going to try this thing. Let's see what happens for a week. You can make it very time bound, which allows you to say after, like, whoa, that went off the rails. But I really don't think that's what it's going to be. Let's be honest. Parenting is expensive, especially around the holidays. And I hear from parents all the time that there are so many things they want to do that just don't fit into their budget, and it just feels powerless. And then once the holidays are over, parents end up feeling like they spent more than they wanted to and they feel stressed and behind. Okay, so now that the holidays are behind us, I want to share an idea for a way to make some extra income in 2025. Hosting on Airbnb. See, being an Airbnb host means you are providing another family with an amazing experience, because I know you've created your home with a family in mind, and it's a great way to earn some extra money. For all the different things you want to do this year, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much@airbnb.com host let's be honest, parenting is expensive, especially around the holidays. And I hear from parents all the time that there are so many things they want to do that just don't fit into the budget. And what feels the worst is that parents feel powerless. Well, you probably know this about me. I am one for thinking about empowered solutions. What is something creative we can do instead of spending all our time thinking about the things we can't do? Here's something I learned about that I want to share with you because I feel like it really fits into that. Ooh, that's a creative idea I hadn't thought about. That is an area where I can feel more empowered hosting on Airbnb. Now let me explain. What that means is you get to provide another family with an amazing experience, and knowing that you've had that impact on someone else's trip or vacation, that actually feels amazing. And then for you, it's an amazing way to earn extra money. For all of the different things you might want to do this year, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much@airbnb.com host okay, there's a couple other things I want to share. I would love one of you to kind of take on the role of telling stories to Alex about a time in your life when you were younger, when you had someone you were really jealous of. Anything a child feels alone in is more likely to be acted out in behavior. Because if our feelings are always seeking connection and our experiences are seeking connection inside our body, well, if they don't find that, then they actually have extra force and they have to come out. And so this is a way we're kind of containing it. We're giving the feelings that kind of home. But to me, and I'm gonna put this in quotes, like, did I ever tell you about the time Is just an amazing sentence starter for every parent to have in their toolbo. For example, it might sound like this. Like, did I ever tell you about the time, you know. You know, I played soccer as a kid. Well, my best friend at the time was, you know, was Raj. And Raj was, like, really nice and, like, really popular and really smart and, like, the best soccer player, and. And he was, like, a good friend to me. Oh, so annoying, right? It's like all those things. Oh, Raj. Anyway, there was this time that we were all out, and he said to me, hey, did you see that goal I scored? And do you want to know what I said back? Do I know what I said? And any kid is gonna be like, what'd you say? And you'd be like, well, do you think I said something nice? Like, oh, I saw it. That was a great goal. Do you think I said that? And the first time you do this, I could be like, probably. And this is, like. It's, like, so beautiful. It's such a powerful opportunity to be like, oh, no, no, I didn't say that. You want to guess again, or do you want me to tell you? Okay, I'll be Like, tell me. Okay, well, what I ended up saying to him was, oh, yeah, like, goal was basically open. Like, anyone could have scored. That's what I said. First of all, if nothing happens after this and just that, I promise you it'll be the most powerful moment of your child's day. Because what you're actually saying to a kid, which you can't actually say in words, you can only say through storytelling, is you're not so bad because you see me and I'm, like, the adult you revere because I'm your parent. And so you inherently believe I am good and capable. And if I essentially did the same things you did when you were younger, like, it's proof to you that you are also a good kid, who's going to figure this out? Except you can't say that. And the story says all of this. So before I go further, tell me, who could take that on? Who could really sell it? Or maybe you're like, that literally was my life. I had a friend named Raj who was an amazing, perfect person. And what do you think about that?