What am I
Feeling?
Feeling?
You’re being asked to do things while trying to relax.
Frustrated
Annoyed
Overwhelmed
Mom says, “Wash all the dishes.” What should you say?
- "okay mom!"
- "yes ma'm"
- "coming"
etc.
You’re overwhelmed or frustrated and can’t focus on the task asked of you to do. What can you say?
"Can I take a 2-minute breather before I start?"
"I’m feeling overwhelmed—can you help me break this down?"
"I need to calm my body, then I’ll begin."
You walk in the bathroom and see the trash is full.
What are some things that you can do or tell yourself?
"Let me go ahead and take that out."
"I’ll grab a new bag and throw this out."
"The trash is full—I’ll take care of it."
You feel like sucking your teeth when asked to do something.
Take a deep breath and say, "Yes, Mom."
Pause, count to 5, then respond: "Okay."
You try to speak but get interrupted.
Disrespected
Hurt
Annoyed
You feel like relaxing but... right as you sit down, mom calls your name—
What’s a respectful way to answer?
extra: what can you do before responding?
Yes, Mom?
I’m coming.
One second, I’ll be right there!
extra: take a deep breath then reply
You know a task will be hard and want help planning it.
"Can we make a plan together?"
"Can I do half now and half later if I get tired?"
"Can I talk to you about how I feel before I begin?"
You see crumbs and dirt on the kitchen floor.
What's a boss move you can do or say to yourself?
"I’ll grab the broom and clean this up."
"I see a mess—let me sweep real quick."
"Before I sit down and chill, I’ll take care of the floor so mom doesn't have to tell me."
Uh Oh! You roll your eyes and mom notices. What can you say or do?
"Sorry, that wasn’t respectful."
"I apologize, I didn’t mean to roll my eyes."
"I was annoyed, but I shouldn’t have shown it that way."
You hear a sharp tone from Mom and feel tense.
Defensive
Anxious
Embarrassed
You already did some chores, but mom asks for more—what can you tell yourself if you're frustrated?
Okay, I’ll keep going.
I’m feeling tired, but I’ll be okay.
The faster I finish, the sooner I get to relax!
You’re confused by your responsibilities.
"Can you tell me what the most important thing is to do first?"
"Can we talk through the steps?"
"May you repeat that please?"
The tables in the living room are sticky.
What's a boss move to say to yourself?
"I’ll wipe this down so it’s clean."
"Let me clean up before I leave the kitchen."
"I see this mess—I got it."
Yikes! You raised your voice when responding.
You can say...
"I’m sorry for my tone."
"Let me try that again."
"I didn’t mean to sound rude."
You finished a task without being told.
Proud
Confident
Responsible
You’re genuinely confused by a chore asked by your mom. How can you respond?
Can you show me an example of what you mean?
I’m not sure what to do—can you give me a hint or remind me?
Do you mean clean all of it or just the _____?
You’re tired from school and are asked to complete chores. How can you advocate for yourself?
"I’m feeling really tired. Can I take 5 minutes, then I’ll start?"
"Can I reset for a bit and then get to work?"
"I need a short break to do my best."
You just finished using art supplies or toys.
What's a boss thing to say to self?
"Let me clean up my stuff."
"I’ll put this back where it goes."
"I’m done with this—time to tidy up."
You feel like snapping but want to be respectful.
You can...
"I’m going to take a second before I answer."
"I’m feeling irritated. Can I answer in a calmer way?"
"I want to show respect, so I need a deep breath."
You gave attitude, and spoke in a harsh tone.
Regretful
Embarrassed
Sad
You’ve just opened your tablet and are excited to relax, but Mom comes in and says, “No screen time until you’ve swept the kitchen and taken out the trash.”
“Okay, I’ll do it now.”
“I’ll get started.”
“I understand. I’ll finish the chores first.”
You feel really burnt out from the day and you're feeling frustrated by being asked to do one more thing. How can you advocate?
- "mom, may i have a minute."
- be honest; "i feel really burnt out, can this be done in 10 minutes or sooner?"
Your mom left stuff out on the living room table and she looks tired.
What would a boss Riley say to herself?
"I’ll clean this up for her."
"Even though it’s not mine, I’ll take care of it."
"Let me help out so Mom doesn’t have to ask."
You feel disrespected but want to respond calmly.
"That upset me, but I’ll talk about it after."
"I still want to be respectful even if I’m upset."
"Can we talk about that after I finish this task?"