Pull Your Own Wagon™

When your wagon is heavy you can learn to

Pull Your Own Wagon™ 

When you feel bad and sad, you can unload those yucky feelings and fill your wagon up with good feelings and fun things.  

Crisis Gertie is here to help.  If you have a question about something that is bothering you, Gertie will answer you.  To learn more about Crisis Gertie click on Gertie.

Crisis Gertie says:  There are a lot of disaster going on in the world right now.  Sometimes we see too much of it or hear too much about it and it makes us worry.  We get all kinds of strange feelings and that can make us have nightmares and even make us wet our beds. 

Remember that what grown-ups call "stress" is always there but when our icky feelings don't go away and we feel scared then we need to talk. 

If you have been in a car accident, a hurricane or other bad weather, had a family member die or worried about terrorist, you may need some extra help. 

To read a few emails that were sent to me click here

Here are some normal things you might experience:

• feeling irritable

• confusion

• scared

• angry

• very sad

• anxious

• guilty

• want to be alone

• afraid to be alone

• can't believe what happened did really happen

When we get super scared even our bodies feel it.  We have tummy aches, headaches, muscle aches and pains.  When we go to the Doctor he/she might not find anything wrong with us.  This is why we need to tell the  Doctor how we feel in our heart.  Hiding how we feel only make things worse.

How we react to a bad thing that happen depends on how old we are. We may worry that we caused the terrible thing to happen. What is worse is when nobody asks us how we feel about it or what we think about what happened.  Sometimes we simply need to sit and think and sometimes we need to sit and talk.

When the bad feelings won't go away, we need to tell the people who take care of us that we need to see our Doctor for a check up.

Watch for more information to help kids with trauma.

Gertie is a nickname for Gertrude.  She was named after a woman who knew the meaning of fighting for survival.  We don't know what Gertie's real name is because she was abused and abandoned when she was around one year old.

Gertrude learned first hand about worries and how to survive through the worst of traumas.  She wants to share with you what her lessons in life have taught her.

Hi, I'm Gertrude (Gertie) and

here I am soon after I was taken in by my new family. I had already gained some weight and was so happy to get my own bed.

I needed to catch up on my sleep.  Plus, getting along with my new sisters wore me out. Both are bigger than me and one thought and still does that she is the boss of me and one is like a mom and makes me feel secure.

As my confidence grew, I became my own boss of me. Every once in a while the bully still picks on me. Once I unloaded my wagon that was filled with scary things and loaded it up with feeling good, thinking good things, and having fun, I decided to help all those out there that have had bad things happen or have bullies pick on them.

Sleep is very important for all of us.  If you aren't sleeping well, make sure you tell your parent, doctor or teacher.

Thanks for visiting me and let me know how I can help you. 

Your friend in need, Crisis Gertie