The hammer

Devin is a bit of a drama queen.  This is not new, but what we are dealing with is more akin to what I would expect from a teenage girl than a seven year old boy.  Lately I have been hearing, "This is the worst day ever!" for such trivialities as:

• learning that a friend cannot sleep over
• needing to turn off the PlayStation/TV/DS
• generally not getting to do things Devin's way

At first we tried to ignore the drama, but over time it really grates on you.  Today I had to bring down the hammer.  After learning that it was indeed another 'worst day ever' in Devin's world (this time because of an accidental deletion on the PlayStation.  Never mind that we went to a movie with nine little boys from the neighborhood today and he got to play PlayStation for a hour - far longer than I usually allow) I asked him how today could be the worse day ever, when he said yesterday was.  Then we talked about how sad it was if every day was so horrible and how we need to create our own happiness.  Nothing seemed to connect with Devin and he continued to lament his awful life when I sent him to his room to think (and to calm myself down). 
When he returned I gave Devin a vocabulary lesson.  He learned the meaning of the words "selfish" and "spoiled" and "brat".  We again talked about all the good and wonderful things in our lives for which we should be grateful.  This resulted in more tears combined with a declaration of how damaged his feelings were by my vocabulary lesson.  And yet, I could tell that I still was not getting through to him. 
As I was putting Devin to bed, I started talking to him about the day that Brianna died.  I explained that she had been sick and in the hospital for a couple days when the doctors wanted to do a test to check her heart, and when they did the test her heart stopped working.  She could not breathe.  She could not talk.  She could not see.  She could not smile or laugh or sing or dance.  I told Devin that I knew that the day that Brianna died was the worst day ever for her parents (my sister and brother-in-law) and for his cousins.  I told Devin that day was the worst day ever for Grandma and Grandpa and for Andy and I and I was pretty sure it was the worst day for his other aunts and uncles and cousins too.  And I asked him if he thought that today was as bad as the day that Brianna died. 

I think he is starting to understand.