A: Your daughter sounds like a popular and energetic child. Although she was not elected class president, the process of getting ready for the final vote was a great experience for her. Unfortunately, her attention is on the sense of loss and disappointment of not being recognized rather than the experience of the race. This should pass soon. Let her talk about her feelings. Be supportive and reflect what you hear back to her. Acknowledge her disappointment. Learning to deal with negative emotion is an important aspect of our life. Remind your daughter about the things that were fun and exciting in the campaign. Being nominated alone indicates that others already recognize her positive attributes. If her negative feelings still persist after a couple of weeks, or interfere with her ability to enjoy other activities, you may want to seek a consultation with a professional counselor.

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