The Problem with Problems

Problems are rather like monsters. They can be big or little, ‘knotty or hairy, slippery or tough’, but they are all different and like to make life miserable for you. You can find them in all sorts of different places, like cafes and the playground, when playing with friends, or even in bed at night. The little ones can be quite easy to deal with. Sometimes they just disappear, or you could try ‘naming’ them and making friends, like the little girl in the story does with a spider she meets. But others are harder to get rid of. There’s really only one answer then, and that is to find someone to talk to about the problem, and because ‘problems like secrets, are terribly shy’ they don’t like anyone else knowing about them. Sharing a problem will help it go away like a puff of smoke. Well, we can hope so anyway! The ‘problems’ are portrayed as monsters, cheerful, happy ones, but monsters none-the-less, and there are huge amounts of scribbly colour to enjoy. This approach should help children feel they can face their own problems with positivity and hope.