OBSTACLE CLEARING
4月
4日
“DON’T DO THINGS FOR CHILDREN THEY CAN DO THEMSELVES”
Today, Mom decided on a session of “OBSTACLE CLEARING” because there is no school next week and the following week a road trip is being planned. Goals for our life need to be clear for the time ahead to avoid nagging and unnecessary problems.
Mom, 11 & 13 as well as Grandma sit at the kitchen table with different colored post-its for each of the four of us. This is a design thinking exercise where you map your goals to the things that are obstacles or annoyances that block your Chi and do not let you get to the flow you’re looking for.
The Pomodoro timer is set for 10 minutes and we all write “things that bug us”; one on each sticky.
Next we take turns reading our post-its and transfer these stickies to sections that make “categories”.—Time Constraints, Household Messiness, Shelter Needs, Thought Blocks, Dog Concerns, Device Overuse, Food Matters, Sister Challenges and Social Needs.
Then we talk about possible solutions. The first one we all think is easy to identify and do something about is the Dog Concerns. The big problem is that Suki is not motivated by food or treats. She wants attention and play. The agreement is to work on teaching Suki to “Whisper”. We like her watch-dog tendencies, but her loud barking is a problem.
Then we take a break, but during the break it occurred to me the 11-yr-old loves dealing with food. She agrees to be in charge of meal planning with our Sunday Family discussion time. She is also criticized for not spending as much time with the dog concerns.
When we come back from break, it becomes clear 11 is willing to free her Mom of the burden of shopping for our food deliveries. 11 has already shown us awareness of cost savings and health needs. The incentive, besides the ability to use the iPad, she says, “13 takes care of the dog so I can help with this.”
WHAT A LEARNING DAY!!
