Life on Life's Terms

One of our students got a lesson in "living life on life's terms" while driving back to campus with his mother after a visit.  When they took a wrong turn and got lost, his mother became stressed, then angry.  But instead of responding with his own anger, as he had in the past, the boy put some of his anger management lessons to work and remained calm.  This in turn helped his mother calm down enough to find their way back.

"She told me later how proud she was of me," he reported.  But his calm was short-lived.  The next day he became angry over a disagreement with another student.  It's not unusual for any of us to take two steps forward and one step back when learning new behavior.  Growing up is about obeying the demands of life instead of those of our own childish selves, and it's learned gradually.  It's progress, not perfection.