PARENTS TOOLKIT

‘Tude is short for attitude, but the real question is, what is an attitude?
The Dictionary definition (for the OCD among us): “An attitude is something you feel strongly about and believe. Your attitude is the way that you think and feel about something, especially when this shows in the way you behave.”

My view… ‘Tudes are tiny things that have a huge impact. They can make your day great – full of fun and laughter, or sad and gloomy. I consider them to be our internal navigation system. Directing how we feel about our day.

Most of us go through life not giving our ‘Tudes much attention. Many people allow ‘Tudes to happen to them, instead of proactively choosing them. Attitudes can change your whole day in a positive way if you take control of them.

To put that into little peeps speak: ‘Tudes are how you choose to think and feel about something. The meaning you choose to put on something and how you respond.

For example:

Mum says: How was your day at school?

Little Peep’s positive ‘Tude choice: Great! We did ABC and it was so much fun!

Little Peep’s negative ‘Tude choice: Boring.

Mum’s response to flip the ‘Tude: What would you have preferred to do? Get them to think about what they would like to do, positively reinforce their new choice by asking questions and discussing how the new ‘Tude would feel, and bring the conversation back to what was good about their day. This is called a Pattern Interrupt.

Here are a few little secrets…

• You get to choose your ‘Tude any time you like. Cool huh?!
• They are free, never run out. Awesomeness!
• They are completely in your control. Nice…
• They are contagious – so make sure you pass a positive one on. #passiton

When you really understand your attitudes are yours and yours alone, you unlock the potential for an awesome life.

Here are a few more tidbits about ‘Tudes:

• They help you make decisions and take action.
• They help you get unstuck and stop procrastination.
• They can be positive (good) or negative (not so good).
• We don’t necessarily think about them (unless Mum points out you need to “choose a positive ‘Tude”), they silently guide us throughout the day.
• They can change – frequently.
• Choose positive ‘Tudes and you’ll become a positive people magnet! People will want to be around you.
• Choose negative ‘Tudes and people will want to stay away from you.
• Fun fact: Attitudes affect your beliefs, which affect your thoughts and actions, and the words you use.

So ‘Tudes may be tiny, but they sure can have a big impact on your day. If you can choose them, you can choose how your day goes. Cool huh?!

Things to try:

Morning ‘Tude Choice

Pattern Interrupt

Resources

‘Tude Chooser Menu – check out this blog post first

BUU the ‘Tude dude ‘Tude Activities and other fun stuff – Coming soon!