This morning I burned my boiled eggs. I had heard people joke about it being the indicator of a terrible cook, but I am not a terrible cook. I would even go as far as saying that I am a pretty fab cook. Come round after COVID and I'll show you.
So how did I manage to burn boiled eggs today?
Last night I was working hard. After I had finished my day a couple of things came up which demanded my attention, people would have struggled if I didn't respond so I recorded some footage for my upcoming Spark webinar and I did a one to one with a family.
I enjoyed doing both these things and they did not feel like a chore but, I was falling into a trap, burning the candle (not the eggs) at both ends.
This morning I got engrossed in work for another deadline and, after hardly hearing the timer for my lunchtime eggs, continued to work and did not respond.
Thank goodness for the smoke alarm! One very steamy kitchen later and I managed to burn my eggs, a first for me.
What has this got to do with Brilliant Behaviour?
We expect our children to self- regulate , to think about their actions and the possible consequences they might have.
Ignoring my timer meant that my eggs got burned but this was not deliberate. My mind was firmly focused on my deadline. I was under stress, good stress but stress nonetheless.
Something we often forget to take into account when expecting children to take responsibility for their actions is what is going on beneath the surface. Are they stressed, are they anxious, are they ill , tired, hungry?
Without these FUNDAMENTALS in place children are not able to use their higher order thinking and social skills. When they make mistakes there is often an underlying reason. When they deserve our love the least is often when they need it the most.
I am a little tired and I was a little stressed but my eggs were not too badly burned so at least I won't go hungry and a full tummy always helps me to function better.
If you would like to know more about self regulation and how our emotional being underpins this do join me in my fantastic new Masterclass Series about Brilliant Behaviour, Learning and Self-Regulation!