Matt gets Angry

Matt gets angry a lot. When Matt gets angry, he hits people. He knows this isn't good. He knows he does this because he doesn't feel good.

Sometimes he hits people at school. When his teachers and principal calm him down, he says it is because he misses his foster dad. Sometimes he hits people at home. When his foster dad calms him down, he says it is because he misses his grandfather.

Matt doesn't always hit people. He is very often a polite and helpful young man. When people congratulate him for being so good, he says it is because his grandparents and his foster dad taught him how to use his manners.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Is Matt a bad kid?
2. Has Matt heard what he was taught?
3. Does Matt do what he was taught?

Wil and His Long-Johns

When Wil liked to wear crazy clothes to school. He loved bright colours and patterns. Almost everyone else at his school, especially the boys, wore t-shirts and jeans almost every day. They really didn't like the way Wil dressed. They knew what the right shirts were, and how to wear them, and they knew that Wil did it all wrong.

One day, some of the boys and girls were bugging Wil about his clothes.

"Hey Wil, I can see your underwear through your knees!"

Wil looked down at his ripped jeans to see his bright red long-johns showing through. "Well, would you look at that," he quipped, "I can too." Then he walked away.

As he walked off, one of the girls threw a crumpled-up wrapper at the back of Wil's head and yelled, "Why do you dress like that?"

Wil answered simply: "Why do you dress like that?" and carried on his way.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Does Wil care about how he dresses?
2. Do the other kids care about how they dress?
3. Is this worth worrying about?