Surprisingly, as a reader, I don't read much to my son. Not because I don't want to but mostly because I just don't love a lot of children's books. I do have some old favorites from my own childhood. You can never go wrong with a Dr. Seuss or even just Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
Recently, my father in law bought my son a new book and I'm obsessed! It gave me a great opportunity to talk about emotions but most especially negative emotions.The book is Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang.
So Jim, a chimpanzee wakes up feeling terrible for no reason. His friends are worried because how can you be so grumpy on such a nice day!? He goes around the jungle, running into his friends who just want to help him get out of his funk but Jim ends up having a melt down.
It is such a simple book with great illustrations and a great message about unexplained emotions. I read this book to my son who loved Jim. He was also worried about the monkey and even made a connection to me.
I'm going to be real honest, I have anxiety and depression. Although I take medication for it, I do still wake up feeling, for a lack of a better word, grumpy. I can't explain why and people asking about it just makes it worse. It's better for me and I'm sure for others to just take the time to feel grumpy. Let it out without feeling bad about it. Spend the time alone if you need to. Your friends and family will understand.
We had a great conversation concerning my own grumpy moods and how grateful I am that he just enjoys laying in bed with me while I spend time being quiet and reflective. We also talked about his moods. I apologized for sometimes getting frustrated with him and that I will try to be just as understanding as he is for me.
We promised each other to let each other know when we're in a bad mood and when we need a break from other people.We also incorporated something his school was doing. Emotional zones:
This is an amazing tool for us. When Hunter tells me he is in the red or blue zone, we make sure he can just be alone in his room to calm down. Then he can calmly tell my husband or I what's wrong and how we can help. Even I use the zones to express how I feel when he does something good or bad.
If it weren't for this book and the help of his school, we might not have as firm an understanding on each others emotions as we do now and I hope it only get's better from here.
Just remember that it's okay to be grumpy.
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