In a great blog called The Juggle, about the trade offs made to balance work and family, Michelle Gerdes writes about the recent incident with a Jet Blue flight attendant who blew up at a recalcitrant passenger trying to retrieve his luggage early and against airline rules. After being hit in the head by the passenger’s suitcase, the attendant Steven Slater proceeded to curse the passenger out on the airplane PA then activated the emergency slide to make a getaway (after grabbing two bottles of beer from the airline cart!). Apparently Mr. Slater was truly fed up and not going to take it any more!
As Michelle writes, “While Mr. Slater’s behavior certainly was extreme, I think we can all sympathize to some extent. I know I can.”
Whether dealing with colleagues at work or impossible children at home, we all face situations that push us to our limits of tolerance and skill. Sometimes blowing off steam is a great way to get back to equilibrium. Sometimes blowing off the whole situation and moving on is more what we need, as seems the case with Mr Slater! 
In parenting a lot of situations feel “not optional.” For example, if a young child throws a tantrum, we think we need to address and discipline this unacceptable behavior. Yet often children don’t even fully understand why they are reacting to something or what they are doing in reaction. At work, a boss may have a style that rubs you the wrong way but you don’t get to choose whether you will complete an assigned project or not. In the case of bosses and children, generally cursing the other person out and escaping down an emergency slide with beer in hand is not a workable option!
What is? What kinds of things can we do or think about or remind ourselves of when we get into these stressful, frustrating, “I can’t take this anymore” kinds of experiences?? Please share any success strategies you have… or a tough situation you have to manage and might want ideas from us on how to handle!
Read the Gerdes article in The Juggle here:
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