What an amazing feeling moving from the trepidations of - Am I doing the right thing? Should I really do this boys group? Will they want to come back each week; to seeing the boys enthusiasm for group this week. Phew!
After pondering the next step regarding how to address the constant interruptions or to address them at all I decided to forgo this week’s topic on bullying. I did this in favour of having the boys continue to be comfortable in group to continue to open up. It was very relaxed and purposeful but not in the ‘specific agenda’ kind of way, just in the ‘letting boys be boys’ kind of way. At one point they found some old pillows and said they wanted to sit on the floor and watch the movie. Yeah, that lasted long! They were hitting one another within 5 seconds! PILLOW FIGHT! I think this is a tween's place of rest!
I have no budget at all for this group so our meals together are low cost. This week the boys made Kraft dinner and hot dogs. You can tell they all really enjoy being a part of this togetherness. I sat and had opening circle with the boys first before we started preparing dinner and this did not go unnoticed. We have creating some simple traditions in the short three weeks we have been together and this is a wonderful sign that we are connecting. A really important element when running a group for kids aged 9-11 years old.
As the group continued who I would say has been the most disruptive, the most enthusiastic and unable to contain his excitement – Johnny just wasn’t himself tonight. Johnny has not been living with mom for quite sometime and there are some sensitive issues here that I am aware of. He was eager to please in preparing the dinner and very much enjoyed perfecting slicing cucumbers! He did such a great job. He likes to hide and scare me when he can – and, he gets me every time! Geesh!
One activity I do with the boys is a “How I am Feeling Today” activity. We briefly talk about how they are feeling on that day. I got a “scared” from Johnny…“There are bullies at my school” he said. Something was bothering him, now I know why he wasn't himself.
My co-facilitator and I are working with not only group dynamics but also trying to integrate the concepts of Dr. Gordon Neufeld in our work. He’s attachment based paradigm is a great addition to our work and one that I believe will help to create positive experiences for these little guys. At least that is my goal.
#BoysNeedToFeel
