"Mom, I'm in a Funk"by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger 24 Nov 2007 09:44 PM My kids are getting increasingly verbal, expressive and creative in the ways they talk to me. Instead of my having to try to pry things out of them or figure out what might be going on, they are getting better at telling me (when they want to) what is going down. While there is still plenty of adolescent moodiness and I know there are certainly plenty of things that they have no intention of talking to me about, they also do sometimes tell me when things are going awry. Instead of the "Leave me Alone!" that reverberated a couple years ago, now when I ask "What is going on with you?" I just might get a "Mom, I'm just in a funk" in return. In our family, being "in a funk" is just a way of trying to explain feeling out of sorts but not necessarily knowing the reason why. Sometimes, it is one of those moods that passes and no one ever really knows the what was up, while other times, it eventually unfolds and the root of the problem presents itself. It is a way of claiming one's feelings and admitting to being in some sort of grumpy or sad or depressed state, without having to explain the why of things right off the bat. For teenagers, it is not unusual for them to be "in a funk" on a fairly regular basis! I think it can be helpful to give our kids the language to express those "inexpressible" things. Let's face it, we don't always feel definitely happy or sad or frustrated, sometimes we feel something uncomfortable but we have no idea what exactly it is we are feeling. That's okay, being able to say that we are "in a funk" without having to have all the answers can be really helpful--it can be an invitation to have a conversation with someone or a way of asking for compassion and understanding. Besides, having the words to say "I'm in a funk" can keep a person from feeling like she has to act out in order to get the understanding and compassion she's craving. Also: Stay Open to New Insight Celebrating Little Victories and Advancements Learn more about Kori Rodley Irons  Bio has been removed by administrator Relevantparenting tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags communication, emotions, feelings, moods Discuss this article
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