Sameh Knows What to Do

Sameh is a very talented boy. He can do lots of neat things, like tricks, tumbles and freaky faces. One day, Sameh decided to impress his friend Sarah with a super-duper somersault on the couch. Sarah said: 'So?'

In Samah Knows What to do When Kids Act Snitty, lovable Sameh finds out why his amazing feats of greatness are sometimes met with snide or snitty responses. He learns that when kids are snitty, it does not mean they don't like him, or that his tricks are boring, but that they haven't yet learnt how to be gracious and polite.

Human social behavior is sophisticated and complex. While we can teach our preschoolers the simple action-reaction emotions of happy, sad, fear, and anger, how do we approach less predictable social feedback such as sarcasm, indifference, and spitefulness, to name a few? Desirable or not, these are among the many responses our children will face in their lifetime. While predicting and understanding them may be difficult, if not impossible, our children must still learn to cope with them. In Sameh Knows What to do When Kids Act Snitty, Sameh eagerly anticipates an applause for his amazing feats, but instead is met with snide and standoffish responses, often typical of young children. Sameh is perplexed and offended by the aloofness of his peers. Naturally inclined to perseverated over such illogical comebacks, Sameh would usually react with hurt or hostility and aim to pester his audience into the applause he was expecting. This behavior, of course, would only exacerbate the situation and ultimately botch the play date. In this story, however, Sameh recognizes his friends' behavior as snitty and not a reflection of his greatness. He learns to simply accept the rebuffs and move forward, free from the need of his friends' approval.