So many children sweat the small stuff and it is really not worth doing. If a child reacts to every little thing that someone says or does to them, they will get a reputation for being easy to wind up, or being known for being a snitch if they are telling the teacher all the time. Children need to learn that it is best to let some things go and there are many situations that they don’t need to do anything about.
They need to not sweat the small stuff and let it go. They need to move on quickly from whatever has happened and not allow the situation to get bigger or worse. Running to the teacher about something small is definitely not the best way to solve an issue. It does not teach the child problem solving skills and, to an extent, resilience.
If you have child who tends to moan about what other children are doing, talk to them about what situations they should respond to and those they should do nothing about. Perhaps make a list with them and talk about why some of the things are not important to bring up. Instead, get them to walk away from their friend or the situation and not dwell on their thoughts. They need to let the action or comment go and move on.
But what about the situations that they want to respond to? How could they respond? What could they say? How could they say it? Ideally, this would be face-to-face with the person who was trying to get a reaction out of them.
Sweat The Small Stuff That’s Important Only
Your child needs to have a clear idea what is worth fighting for (metaphorically) and what isn’t. Talking about things that happen at school and discussing different ways to approach situations will help them see what is important to address and what should be left alone.
For more information on helping your child, please take a look at my book, The Parent’s Toolkit.
Alternatively, you might fancy a coaching session to help your child. If you do then please do give me a call on 07961 312 749.
[Published Sept 2022 | Updated July 2025]
