Social Skills
Do you know kids with poor social skills? Kids who want to interact with peers but don’t know how? Kids who look dazed and confused when not accepted by others? My wife and I have a cat who suffers from this problem.
Meet large Marge, our youngest rescue cat. We were told she belonged to an elderly lady who lived alone and could no longer care for her. Now that we’ve had Marge over a year, we think she just watched never-ending soap operas and game shows, only leaving her owner’s lap to eat and relieve herself.
I’m certain Marge loved TV because her favorite activity is watching people talk during my Zoom sessions. She’s content to sit at my feet until a participant talks – at which time she jumps up and plops herself on my computer keyboard blocking all access to the screen.
Though Marge likes people, she has no clue how to play with other animals. She paws at our other cats under the door – but seems shocked and scared to see them when the door opens. She also seeks out her furry siblings – but hisses, spits, and runs away when they try to play with her.
Kids and animals alike are hard-wired to connect – however, they aren’t born with the specific skills needed to do so. Good social skills are developed through time and practice interacting with others. So teachers, keep teaching and helping kids make connections. There may be some proverbial hissing and spitting occasionally, but the end-result will be more than worth it.
