{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The KidsMinistry.Blog Podcast","title":"Teaching Trust With A Jar Of Marbles","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":371,"description":"My eight year old told me I talk too much. Ouch but fair. Do go on and on trying teach something important. By sentence three eye rolls start.Started stealing ideas from people who actually keep kids engaged. Sunday school teachers camp counselors that one mom at pickup who never yells. Secret isn't better speeches. It's props. Kids love doing stuff with hands.Crumpled heart happened by accident. Daughter being really mean to little brother. Usual \"be nice\" speech not working. Grabbed paper cut out wonky heart shape handed to her.\"Think of something mean someone said to you.\" She crumpled it tiny bit. \"Now think of something else.\" More crumpling. Kept going til heart looked like went through washing machine.Told her smooth it out. She tried. Wrinkles weren't going anywhere.\"That's what happens when we say mean things. Sorry helps but sometimes hurt stays.\"Stared at that wrinkled heart like five minutes. Haven't had as many mean words problems since. Well not as much anyway.Sister has jar in kitchen filled with marbles. Kids thought decoration til she explained rules. Every time someone keeps promise or tells truth marble goes in. Lie or break word? Takes out three.Took months fill jar first time. When her ten year old lied about homework she removed handful of marbles you could see it click. Trust isn't abstract anymore. It's that jar took forever fill.Now kids police themselves. \"Mom need tell you something don't want you take marbles out...\"Visual really works. Tried it with my kids made mistake using jar too big. Took forever see progress they lost interest. Start smaller than think.Blow up balloon halfway. Talk about things stress kids out. Tests friendship drama parents fighting. Each thing add more air. Balloon gets tighter tighter. Kids getting nervous.\"It's gonna pop!\"\"What happens when we get too much stress don't deal with it?\"Boom. Balloon explodes everyone jumps suddenly understand why finding ways let off steam matters.Nephew still talks about this...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/xu8CrUD0jOYW3q-sNtnfx2IPiu3EBLp3zZLXQnYwa-8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80M2I1/Y2MzODE4MmIwYmRi/NTNkZmEyZmFiYTQ4/M2JjYi5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}