9 Year Old Mediator Could Teach Us All Something

From the Mediation Matters Blog of Steve Mehta.

I came across an interesting article about a 9 year old child and her mediation skills.  The latter part of it has a political discussion which you can choose to read or ignore based on your political views.  But the story about the child is fascinating.   We could all learn from her.  Here is a brief excerpt of that story…

My granddaughter Maya, an adorable 9-year-old, came back from her school wearing a T-shirt with the word “Mediator” on it.

She said she had been assigned to walk in the schoolyard during breaks and look for kids fighting with each other.

Then she would offer her mediation services.

Intrigued, I asked her to explain how it actually worked.

“First,” she said, “I sit down with them and listen to their complaints. This is pretty boring, because they keep telling you things that happened in the past, not necessarily related to the present problem. I want them to get to the point. But I found out that letting them whine is part of the solution.”

And then?

To read more, click here.

                       

Steve Mehta

Steven G. Mehta is an attorney and mediator providing unique mediation services in a variety of types of civil litigation. His ability to understand the human process and complex emotional issues involved in legal negotiations enables him to effectively assist the parties in obtaining the best possible results during mediation.… MORE >