Determination is always a useful quality to have. It can come in handy when completing a grueling test, running a mile in a torrential downpour, or calming a crying kid. Very few find it simple to conquer a child's tantrum, but when they do, they have succeeded at the ultimate test of perseverance. Kids can be especially stubborn when they are upset, and their unpleasant screams can try a person’s patience. All these factors combined have the potential to create an unsound mess of shrieks along the lines of: Let’s say that Roy, a seven year-old boy, is sobbing while at camp and you, the counselor, need to move on to the next activity, which you cannot do until Roy has stopped crying. Start with inquiry, because without knowing the problem, how are you supposed to fix it? The first question is a simple, “What’s the matter?” If Roy answers he has a booboo, then congratulations, your job just got a whole lot easier; all you have to do is fix the booboo, console Roy, and voila; you can move on. However, Roy’s case is particularly problematic; he answers that he misses his parents. Though it may not seem like it, this scenario is daunting, for a homesick child is relentless in his pursuit to make your life miserable. With deep breaths and a focused mind, move on to the next question: “How long have you felt this way?” The length is a key indicator of how long he will spend crying. Roy answers that he has been sad for the last five minutes, a relatively short amount of time, meaning that when he returns to the cheerful, fun-loving child he is, he should stay that way. With this new-found information, assess how you should console him. Make sure to say that it is okay to feel this way sometimes, and even admit that when you were Roy’s age, you also felt homesick, even if this is not the case. Then tell him that his family wants him to have fun. Describe all the adventures he will have, sparing no amusing detail an