It’s useful for children to be
taught about the value of hanging in there when the going gets tough. The act
of doing the hard stuff is driven by the belief that ‘I can hang tough in tough
situations.’ This thinking becomes habitual the more the child negotiates
difficult situations successfully. Teachers and parents can help their young
charges develop this very important capability in a fun way.
Read this story to your students about Mr.
Chin.
Let me introduce Mr. Chin. He is married to
Mrs. Chin. They live in a house in a place called ChiniChinChin. They are the
Chins from ChiniChinChin and they have a problem. Mr. Chin gives in.
Mr. Chin would start jobs around the house
and he would get tired and not finish them. He would say ‘I give up’ and he would have a rest and fall
asleep.
He dug half a hole in the garden and built
half a shed. He mowed half the lawn and shaved half of his beard. He did look
funny!
Mrs. Chin said, ‘Have you finished your job
Mr. Chin?’ But Mr. Chin was fast asleep in his favourite chair.
Mr. Chin went to the doctor and said ‘I
give in when I have tough jobs to do.’ He said ‘you have give in disease.’
‘What’s that?’ Mr. Chin asked. He said, ‘when the
job gets tricky you think ‘this is too hard and you give up.’ This stops you
from being successful. This is Success Stopper thinking!’
'What will I do doctor? I’m not being
successful and my jobs are not finished and Mrs. Chin is sad too.'
He said:
If you want to feel much better
And get all your jobs done
This is what you need to do
And you can have some fun!
When you want to stop
And you are about to give in
Instead of resting in your chair
Say ‘DON’T GIVE IN MR. CHIN!’
Mr. Chin went home and told Mrs. Chin what
the doctor had said and Mrs. Chin listened carefully.
The next day when Mr. Chin had mowed half
the lawn he said to himself, ‘this is too hard. I think I’ll give up.’ Then he
remembered what the doctor told him and said, ‘DON’T GIVE IN MR CHIN!’ And
guess what? Mr. Chin finished the whole lawn and he felt very good. Mrs. Chin
was happy too.
If you drive past the Chins from
ChiniChinChin you will notice that everything is finished! Well-done Mr. Chin.
You didn’t give in!’
When your child or student is trying hard
say:
‘Don’t give in Mr. Chin!’
When your child or student has completed a
task say:
‘You didn’t give in Mr. Chin!’
When your child or student is giving up
say:
‘Don’t give in Mr. Chin!’
If they try hard and still don’t quite get
there ensure them that sometimes things can be too hard but they kept trying
and that’s OK.
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| Whyalla Foreshore - Whyalla, South Australia |
