Day 3,389

Growth:

One doesn’t need to set high standards and goals for the RIGHT people, rather, one merely needs to show the path and allow room for their growth. How time has been wasted throughout history by attempting to push others ahead rather than showing a path and allowing them to pull us along with.

Appreciation:

Last night I had an awesome moment of parenting wisdom with Gavin. From the kitchen I heard a sound of deep frustration, a big sigh, and then the sounds of the laptop and computer parts being put away. When he sat in the living room with me I asked what was up.

The project he’d put quite a few hours into hit a snag and was irreparably destroyed. I asked a bunch of questions to figure out a way to fix it for him. When he quickly realized what I was doing he paused me with a, “Dad, it’s not a big deal, I learned from it.” And that was that. He moved on.

How many times as a parent have I wanted to fix something for the boys, whether important or insignificant, in order to help them find joy? How much better is it for them to have had experiences of things not working out so they can build resilience and learn from mistakes? I’m sure there’s a balance and there’s a certain amount of support needed, but I’m afraid I too often lean towards fixing rather than allowing.

Thanks for the reminder to let you grow on your own Gavin!

Presence:

Very interesting day from the standpoint of presence. As I reflect on the day I realize I was 100% present in significantly more moments of the day than usual. Part of it due to the crazy pace of the day, part of it due to the conversations, and some due to random-ish circumstances. Regardless of the reason I can see why it was a +2 kind of day!

Thanks!!