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Home » Family Articles » Being A Parent Opportunities To Turn A Bad Experience Into A Good Experience

Being a Parent... Opportunities to Turn A Bad Experience Into a Good Experience

The biggest challenge I have had to face in my own life is that of being a good parent. My kids make it hard for me to stay true to the rules of good parenting... They break everything I own... Repeatedly...

Fortunately, I do have the presence of mind to realize that as toddlers and young children, they really do not intend to break things... Instead, they are trying to get a grasp on how the world around them works.

Yep, the lego floats. I wonder what it will do if I flush it??

"Daddy! The toilet is stopped up."

So, Daddy pulls the toilet up, tries to backfeed a snake, and finally gives up. Daddy had to buy a new toilet, because he could not loose the lego stuck in its plumbing.

Of course, the kiddies never told me what they flushed. All I knew is that I could not get it out.

So, I turned it into a learning experience for my boys.

I carried the toilet to the street, and took the boys with me. I took my trusty hammer and broke the plumbing portion of the toilet to see what kind of blockage I had tried to overcome. Upon finding a lego in the plumbing, I instructed the boys that the reason they could not use their toilet is because their lego got stuck.

We have been working with the kids to teach them an understanding of the value of money. The six year old is starting to get it, but the boy who just turned four is still a bit unconcerned about such things.

I explained to the boys that we would have to spend money to buy a new toilet. And, because that requires money to be spent, I would not be able to afford to take them bowling as promised. I could have afforded to do so, but they needed to learn a lesson.

Once they calmed from losing their bowling privileges, we took a bad and made it fun.

Each boy got the opportunity to use the hammer on the remains of our toilet. The trash guys would not have picked up the toilet, because it was a big object. So, I killed two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Each boy got to take turns breaking the toilet into smaller pieces. They had a blast.

Then, we took the chance to teach them the basics of basketball. We needed the small chunks of porcelain in the trash barrel, so we set the barrel nearby and tossed bits of the remains of the toilet into the trash can, as if we were playing basketball.

It was an awesome experience overall, and my kids got to learn a few things, and try a few new things along the way.

And yes, we did wash our hands after our game of basketball.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Getting Organized For The New Year - Part 1

The following procedures will insure an organized and well run office.

1. Have a daily To Do sheet. This is made up at the end of the day. You might have items left over from the previous day, put those items first and work from there. If you make deposits on a daily basis, add them to the list. Plan to file at the end of the day or before/after lunch breaks. Doing this daily will avoid the "pile syndrome". This list should also include any marketing strategies you employ. This will insure you set time aside to implement them.

2. Have a weekly goal sheet that you review at the end of the work week and finish off any projects hanging, check supplies, make deposits, do invoicing, review the goals you set up in your business plan. This sheet will also include phone calls left to make, marketing or mailings you need to finish.

3. Your monthly goals and routines should include: making deposits, invoicing, bank statement reconciliation, mileage costs, copier costs, postage costs, and income and expenses for the month. Check your supplies and order, if necessary. Comparison of your income and expenses for the month will indicate whether or not you need to make any changes or adjustments to your marketing plan for the following month. Calendar any upcoming events. Make up new income and expense envelopes. Pull your tickle for the following month and place materials in the appropriate day. Make up your chron file for the month.

4. At six month intervals check on your competition. Are they increasing their prices? What kind of marketing are they employing? Are they offering new services?

5. Do one of the following things with each piece of paper that crosses your desk: act on it, read it, file it or toss it. Be sure you need it, before you file it.

6. Set up a mail system. Use different colored folders to categorize the mail you receive. For example, Red - you need to act on (write a letter, make a telephone call, etc.); Gray - for your information; Yellow - meetings, upcoming events; Green - minutes of other meetings, newsletters, reports, etc.; Black - flyers, advertising materials. Remember stamp the date received on all mail, and follow up as quickly as possible, if necessary. This system can be modified for those companies that do not receive a large volume of mail. This system will help staff members set up work priorities.

7. Make up a reading folder. Read or browse this material during lunch, breaks, during slow or off hours. Make up files with specific categories for those articles you want to keep as a reference. Check on these periodically (every 3 months) to see if the information is still up to date.

8. To cut down on filing and paper costs. Set up a chron filing system. A chron file contains any correspondence you have generated for a specific period of time. They are usually made up on a monthly basis. For example, label a file January Chron, and place any correspondence you generated for that month in the file. For most offices, this system avoids having to make up client files with one piece of paper in them. However, some offices keep an additional copy in the client file. Do this only if you have to.

Part 2 of this article will discuss what you will need to implement this system. For more organization and time management strategies for your business, check out our website.

Copyright 2000, DeFiore Enterprises.