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Mightier Review- Part 1
We received the Mightier system in the mail a few weeks ago and personally I am super excited about it. My kids, however, it’s been hit and miss. When I looked into Mightier I knew it wasn’t an instant quick fix, but another tool for our toolkit. Hopefully THE tool. It looks like the perfect fit to fill the gap to get from ‘theory’ to ‘practice’ with all the techniques we’ve tried. Let me tell you what’s up so far.
Unboxing our Mightier equipment
I loved the packaging. Which is a weird thing to say, but anything that’s geared towards kids… the packaging matters. My kids Loved the blue, and the squeezy heart is constantly disappearing nowadays. Plus… it’s a tablet. That got their attention right away!
The tablet came ready to play. It was pre-loaded with profiles for both boys, so all I needed to do was turn it on and plug it in to charge. I was a BIG fan of that!
Mightier Review- My kids’ initial impressions
At first, both kids were interested, but my oldest quickly decided that he would not like it. So I let my younger son try first. And holy moly was that a flop! He cried and whined and made such a fuss that I called the whole thing off. I don’t want Mightier time to be a punishment, but rather something they look forward to. So I let it go. Which of course made his brother want to try! Suddenly the games that he had deemed ‘boring’ moments before were interesting enough to play! He was the primary reason I was interested in Mightier, so when he got into it I was secretly celebrating inside.
Since the first day getting them to play routinely has been hit and miss. I want it to be on their terms so that it remains positive. I keep the tablet charged and easily accessible. My younger son is the one who plays more often now. After his first failed attempt he tried again and really enjoyed it! Now he’s playing several times a week.
Mightier Review- It’s more than just games
Since we started our Mightier journey I have had all the thoughts. Now I’ll share them!
The email campaign rocks
I have been super impressed with Mightier’s attention to detail and their emails. If my kids don’t play at all (the goal is 45 minutes a week) it is documented in the weekly email. The emails are also packed full of useful information. Normally when I get something new I don’t pay so much attention to the emails, but the Mightier emails are worth every second of read time.
There’s a Parent Community!
To be honest I have not used the parent community much so far. I have poked in and perused posts and it seems like a great place to get help with the hardware and hear from other parents in the trenches. The bottom line for me is that there IS a parent community. Having a child who struggles with their emotions can be crazy isolating, so the fact that there is a community there is comforting.
The Dashboard is super useful
The dashboard needs a shout out as well. I love the fact that I can log in and see what my kids have done. You can see how much they’ve played, how many times they’ve practiced cooling down and how long it took them, and what games they’ve played. It makes it easy to say ‘Hey, kid! How’s that Kitty in the Box game?!’ to create a new way to bond.
Add in the easy access to tutorials, the fact that you can switch between multiple kids with ease, and tips on how to support your child specifically, and you have a really great resource.
The Mightier hardware is functional
This is the only part that I feel a little ‘Meh’ about. The tablet doesn’t have the best battery life and it sometimes takes a while to connect to the heart rate monitor. We’ve also had a heck of a time with my younger son bumping the power button and turning the screen off by accident.
I not super impressed, but I’m also not going to complain. After all, I didn’t have to do ANYTHING to prepare the tablet. Also, when I spoke to our coach she brought up the fact that these challenges can be considered part of the process!
Mightier Review- The Coaching Call
The coaching call is what really blew me away. Our coach, Natalie, was AMAZING. She had reviewed my children’s’ information and came ready with ideas. After we talked some about the struggles my older son faces she was compassionate. It was such a relief to talk to someone who gets it! She actually listened to me, understood what I was saying, and here’s the kicker… BELIEVED ME! As a parent of a difficult child, it is sometimes daunting to talk to other people because of the judgment. I didn’t feel any of that here.
At first, I wasn’t sure how much the coaching would help me. But after my first call, I can tell that it is going to be the meat of my part in the Mightier system. She got my next call scheduled and I left with concrete ideas. It was a solid win!
Our Mightier plans going forward
As we continue of our Mightier journey I plan to implement the tactics our coach and I discussed to get my older son more interested and willing to play. I am also making it a ‘subject’ for his homeschool this year. Because, like any form of exercise (physical OR mental), CONSISTENCY is key. Unless we implement consistency Mightier will only be yet another failed experiment.
As of right now, I’m noticing my younger son gets more out of it. He plays whenever he wants to, and I plan to continue to allow his Mightier journey to be self-led. He tends to follow in his brother’s footsteps, so if I can get thing 1 to play consistently, thing 2 probably will too.
The most important part for our next month? CONSISTENCY! 45 minutes a week isn’t much, and once we hit our groove I think I’m going to start seeing some real progress! Is Mightier the tool we’ve been desperate for? It’s too early to tell. But the potential is there and so far I am impressed!
If you’re looking for an emotional intelligence tool, or already considering Mightier, I recommend you take the leap. Based on our first few weeks, it is definitely worth it!
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our journey!
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