In Case You Missed it: Social/Emotional Learning

Crying doesn't indicate the you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign you are alive ~Unknown

Its been an emotional week for my immediate and extended family with the sudden passing of my youngest niece (age 17) from complications of epilepsy. I have been working with my daughter (age 13) to find ways to celebrate her life, rather than dwelling on the loss we all feel. Paige was an organ donor and Lauren has noted that it is a small comfort to know that my niece is helping other families live and celebrate life, as she transitions to the next world. Its never easy when you lose a family member, but even more difficult when that family member is a child or young adult. 

As my daughter so eloquently put it: "Its as if time stood still, and everyone was moving so slowly."  She is right. Suddenly, politics,current events and personal differences don't matter at all, as we focus on just supporting each other.

There are so many emotions and interpersonal dynamics that arise when a family goes through a major life event such as this. Being who I am, I've been trying to step back a bit and look at it all to see what can be learned from it and how that insight can be applied. Maybe that is my way of working through my own grief, but it seems as if it is my natural reaction after the initial feelings of sadness, tears and emotional release, so I don't fight it.

In the spirit of deeper understanding of how to give positive support and help each other through difficult transitions, this week's links are geared towards social and emotional learning. Please feel free to share them with others.

If you would like to read Paige's story, (as written by a close friend) and help her parents, sisters, cousins, classmates, friends and family celebrate her life, please click here. 

This weekend, my wish for you is that you find and reinforce your own ways of celebrating life with your children, families and friends. In the big picture, its really the only thing that matters.

~Barbara


Why Champion Social and Emotional Learning ? (Edutopia) 

The Impact of Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) Download

Communication: Encouraging Spontaneous Language

Behavior and Social Skills

Grief in the Family: Providing Support at School

Emotional Learning (Psychology Today) 

Helping Your Child With Transitions


Contact: barbara@bodylogioque.com