Dear Gene,

Have to tell you a quick story about one of my kids. He’s an incredibly bright little guy — one of the smartest I’ve ever seen. But he has an equally incredibly hard time controlling his impulses. Emotional outbursts, physical outbursts, you name it, he does it. He ages out of preschool this year, and deserves to go to kindergarten, but his behavior will kill him in a large group. So I’ve been trying desperately to “fix him” this year — to get him enough coping skills that he’ll be able to manage himself in kindergarten. I can’t tell you how many things I’ve tried with him, and all with limited success. I went to your workshop with him in mind. I tried your photo-puzzle (sorry, can’t remember the exact name) to help him develop a better relationship with one particular classmate, and it’s helped a bit. But the best thing for him has been the Garden of Good Choices/Better Choice Chair. I set one up, and the first day we used it, he came over to me at the end of the day and said, “Miss Milan, those better choices really help me.” It was all I could do not to cry at that. So, thank you! From me, from him, and from my other students, thank you.

Sincerely,

Stacy Milan

– Stacy Milan