Practical Parenting Ideas

I was (re)framed!

There’s an empty picture frame at the front of Chloe Giampaolo’s fifth grade classroom. Sharing Space, the newsletter of the Center for Creative Response to Conflict, tells how students in Prince George County, Maryland use the frame to set things right. "When a student feels put down by something that someone has said, he or she can take the frame, hand it to the person who has made the statement, and ask that the statement be reframed. Getting ‘Shut up!’ reframed to ‘please be quiet’ has been a big step."

The frame lets the students express honestly how someone’s words made them feel, and it gives the speaker a second chance to say something in a way that’s not hurtful. If you’re having trouble with the way your kids talk to one another and are tired of harping at them, hand them a frame. It may give them a chance to solve the problem creatively on their own. But be ready. Giampaolo says students hand her the frame, too.

Back to Parenting Ideas Index