a parenting 'a-ha'

This morning, the kids and I spontaneously went to Tim Hortons to get breakfast. We were all having a lovely trip, made our order and headed home. As we began to pull out from TH, the car full of a fit of rare giggles and harmony, I got ready to rein them in and prepare them to come into the house quietly and calmly so that Daddy could sleep late. We still had about 2 miles before getting home. Two miles in which I could enjoy the giggles, or which they could stew in induced sobriety.

The aha came when I realized that by virtue of being me or being mom, I think several steps ahead. This is a strength as the COO of a small corporation (the pitman family). But good leadership comes in knowing when to deliver the next step. Kids, of course, live in the immediate. It would make no sense to them, and would therefore stress them out, to have them prepare for something that was 2 miles and 6 minutes away.

So I stopped myself, enjoyed the laughter, and waited until we drove onto our street to deliver the strategy.

I have to admit that there is a balance here. Because the kids also like to know what is coming next. What is coming up and how they fit in. But they're next steps are much broader than my detailed outlines of life.

Now, all I need to do is remember this Eureka for other times....