I drive carpool most mornings lately.
I do it because it gets me out of the house and on my way to the gym. It works. And we have a very specific routine in the mornings. That routine includes what streets we take to get to the school. It’s all very predictable. We never deviate from the path.
Except for today.
This morning, as I approached the corner where we make our usual left-hand turn into the drop-off line, the cars were backed up more than normal. In the moment, I decided to take a different route to try and circumvent the delay. My three sons said nothing, but one of the neighbor kids screamed out, “what are you doing? You can’t go this way!”
He was freaked out. I wish I were exaggerating. He was seriously strained. I attempted to calm him down with, “Hey, this might be faster.” But he wasn’t buying it. “Have you ever gone this way before?,” he asked. “Nope. Never. But it’s worth a try,” I replied.
“It’s not going to be faster,” he kept repeating. Then I said, “Don’t be afraid of change!” I repeated that phrase to him several times until he stopped asking me questions. “Don’t be afraid of change!” But when we got back to the spot we were headed in the first place, he said with great pride, “See, it wasn’t any faster.”
He was right. It wasn’t any faster. It was just different. And it was still worth the shot, in my mind. My kids didn’t care. They said, “Nice try, Dad.”
I wondered why my kids didn’t react the same way or join in the questioning. It didn’t take me long to figure it out. They’re used to it. They enjoy what we call, “adventure days.” These are days we pile them in the truck and head out with no specific course or objective in mind. We just go explore and stop wherever it feels right. They’ve come to expect the unexpected from me and my wife. So, they didn’t react at all to the change. That makes me happy.
The world is changing fast. I want my kids to be able to roll with the change, try new things, not be afraid to take a new path. I think our “adventure days” have helped.
What things do you do to help your kids embrace change?
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=450b75f6-10e5-4ed4-9afe-318c99de02c1)
#
We try to live as un – routinely as we can. There are certain routines our son likes to adhere to which we try to live up to however certain things need change up every once in a while. I think too many kids now a days are scheduled to DEATH never being allowed to deviate from the norm which probably makes them less adaptable and less creative.
#
We try to live as un – routinely as we can. There are certain routines our son likes to adhere to which we try to live up to however certain things need change up every once in a while. I think too many kids now a days are scheduled to DEATH never being allowed to deviate from the norm which probably makes them less adaptable and less creative.
#
From my Quote of the Day on 2/17/09-“If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.”~Jack Dixon.
#
From my Quote of the Day on 2/17/09-“If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.”~Jack Dixon.
#
We, too, try to live as un-routinely as possible. Also, it seems that married life for me has had the opposite effect of ‘settling me down’. I grew up in the same town all my life. Now that I’m married with children, I have this itch to see the world, or at least my country, and to take my family along for the ride. So far, I’ve had few complaints. Two years in a place is probably our average, and then we move on. My 15 year old step-daughter makes friends easily, and in this modern world, she has no trouble keeping up with friends she made in previous places. She seems to be all the better for it. If I saw any adverse effects on anyone involved we would ‘settle down, but for now it works for us!
#
We, too, try to live as un-routinely as possible. Also, it seems that married life for me has had the opposite effect of ‘settling me down’. I grew up in the same town all my life. Now that I’m married with children, I have this itch to see the world, or at least my country, and to take my family along for the ride. So far, I’ve had few complaints. Two years in a place is probably our average, and then we move on. My 15 year old step-daughter makes friends easily, and in this modern world, she has no trouble keeping up with friends she made in previous places. She seems to be all the better for it. If I saw any adverse effects on anyone involved we would ‘settle down, but for now it works for us!
#
#
#
One thing my son and I do is make movies. He’s 5. He sets up the scene and says “action”. Usually he wants me to stay in charactor, but sometimes I’ll take the story in a new direction. He’ll freak out a bit and then pivot with me. Then he’ll lead the story for a while. This exchange of control is actually good for both of us.
#
One thing my son and I do is make movies. He’s 5. He sets up the scene and says “action”. Usually he wants me to stay in charactor, but sometimes I’ll take the story in a new direction. He’ll freak out a bit and then pivot with me. Then he’ll lead the story for a while. This exchange of control is actually good for both of us.
#
Justin, I’m honored by your blog post.
Sensfaction… kids need a certain amount of routine to feel comfortable, so I’m certainly not against routines at all.
Rocky, love the quote.
And John, I really like the movie idea. My oldest and I worked on a long Adobe Illustrator project together over a course of months and the interplay was amazing. I need to do that again.
#
Justin, I’m honored by your blog post.
Sensfaction… kids need a certain amount of routine to feel comfortable, so I’m certainly not against routines at all.
Rocky, love the quote.
And John, I really like the movie idea. My oldest and I worked on a long Adobe Illustrator project together over a course of months and the interplay was amazing. I need to do that again.
#
Jeff,
Yeah – we also make paper airplanes, practice Karate (which is great for “change embracing”), and make iMovies on my mac.
John
#
Jeff,
Yeah – we also make paper airplanes, practice Karate (which is great for “change embracing”), and make iMovies on my mac.
John
#
Jeff,
I think routine is very important for little ones -I know my 6 year old needs it. But breaking that routine is also very important. If I didn’t shake things up now and then, she would definitely be screaming the loudest from the back. We moved about 6 months ago, and I love the idea of adventure days.
We are about to start exploring the city. Thanks for the idea!
#
Jeff,
I think routine is very important for little ones -I know my 6 year old needs it. But breaking that routine is also very important. If I didn’t shake things up now and then, she would definitely be screaming the loudest from the back. We moved about 6 months ago, and I love the idea of adventure days.
We are about to start exploring the city. Thanks for the idea!