Want To Become A Great Problem Solver, Spend A Day With A Child

It’s been about fifteen years since the last adult child finally got his life together and decided to live independent of Mom and Dad. Finally, you can breathe a little easier; you got your house back, just the way you and your significant other enjoy it.

This is the weekend the 9, 10 and 7 year old wanted to visit grandma’s house. After all, it’s only going to be for a weekend. Great! They can keep each other company. The anxiety starts to build. It’s been just the two of you for so long; you are always on the road traveling; you like being together, just the two of you; the solitude; spending time together in peace and quiet. It was fun visiting their house and saying goodbye, going back to your house.

And now, your space is about to be invaded with, not just one child, but three.
“What do you want to get for the children to eat?” trying to plan ahead.
“Oh, they will eat whatever we fix?” your significant other responds.
“You know Justin is picky; he doesn’t eat rice, unless you put syrup on it”, you remind your spouse.
Your mind then turns to whether you have enough toys and games to keep them occupied.
A visit to the activity room and toy chest satisfies you that at least there is enough to get them started and you hope will keep them occupied. A quick look at your bookshelf to make sure you at least have some age appropriate books available.
Anxiety already and they haven’t arrived yet.

“What can be done to head off the typical youth response to “I’m bored”?
You think, “Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea; there is too many things I already know I could be doing”. You dare not say what you are thinking too loud.

The weekend arrives and the first few hours they are excited about being at grandma’s house. They take off running toward the backyard, where you have set up horse shoes, table tennis, badminton net. You feel good, as you look at them running, jumping, tagging each other, having fun. Then the fight start, one doesn’t want to play with the other, because they cheat, or are unfair.

You listen from your desk, where you are trying to complete an inspirational writing that just popped into your head as they arrived. They won’t let up. You hold off as long as you can, hoping to allow them to resolve their own conflicts.
“Somebody is crying; it’s time to investigate”, so you head out to the backyard. The seven year old is crying.
“What happened?” They each accuse the other.
The dispute is over tagging out the runner on second base—you guessed it—the seven year old was too slow.
“Show me what happened.”
“Okay, Justin, you are out”.
Justin wasn’t happy but he is a team player. The other two, jumping up and down: “We told you”.
They run off to continue the game and I head back to my story.

In that instant you wonder if this was a good weekend; you feel unprepared; why can’t they just get along, like nice little boys and girls?

Suddenly you realize you stepped beyond your selfish, protective time zone, and allowed these little ones to connect. It doesn’t feel so bad. You’ve missed the sounds, the fights, the conflicts, the planning and preparation, the redirecting, teaching a moral principle and the sheer joy of coordinating play, living and business.

Children can teach us much more than we give them credit for.


7-Business Principles for Personal Success

• It Is Not About You
• Problem solving
• Negotiation
• Multitasking
• Planning
• Conflict Resolution
• Managing Difficulties

Also read Success Tips: “What My Cat Taught Me About Niche Marketing” at the website below.