Sniffing Waffles

Ax has noticed that when a certain subject in school comes up his mood, “goes from a ten to a one.”  We’ve been playing this mood check-in game and rating our moods from 1-10 in some kind of measure what we want to manage attempt.  Ax’s mood is generally 10, sometimes 9, or else it’s one.  

We asked him, “Since you know this subject brings your mood down to one, what can you do to bring your mood back up either during the subject or after that part of online school is done?”  

He didn’t have an answer but the next day after school Mike asked if he’d had the subject and he had.  How is your mood now, “Happy.” Ax said.  “How is your mood happy when you had the subject today?  What did you do to get your mood back up?”

“I sniffed my chocolate chip waffle,” Ax said.

“Brilliant!” Mike said, “And that worked?”

“Yep.”

“There’s actually some science science science that engaging the olfactory senses activates the hypothalamus numerator denominator hypotenuse blah blah blah.” 

“Can I have rigatoni for dinner?” Ax said.

“Yes,” I said.  “I’m so proud of you for getting through the day and figuring out a way to get your mood up when something you don’t like happens.”

“With marinara sauce?”

“Right.”

And then he retreated to watch Holderness family videos, I went to boil water, and Mike went to do something brainy in his lair.

I’m so grateful that right now my child’s main complaint is about school and that we are all healthy and relatively safe.  Thank you to everyone who puts themselves in harms way to help us and others. And thanks to all who can and do honor stay-at-home and mask compliance recommendations. I’m gonna keep going (at home). 

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