Papa, You Made A Poor Decision! 

     Our grandson loves to sleep over at our house. In his mind, it is a respite free of his too cute little brother and his parents who must share his attention with the too cute little brother. One of the attractions of his visit is having unfettered access to the house when his grandparents sleep late. For the most part, he has been well behaved. He enjoys sitting with the cat in the window seat and arranging props for his soon to be acted out adventures. To date, no major damage has occurred. 

     On the occasion of one such sleepover, I came upstairs to find my grandson sitting in his usual spot with the cat in  the window seat. He greeted me in the following manner, Papa, you made a poor decision! Not accustomed to being greeted in such a way by a five year old, I stepped back to assess the situation. I noticed a slight brown smudge on my  grandson’s face. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied an empty plate which had contained the remains of a chocolate cake. 

      I resisted the urge to laugh out loud at the irony of a five year old giving such advice. I also suppressed the outrage at my authority being usurped and the tables being turned. 

      Eventually, I realized that he was right. Papa had made a poor decision and left temptation in the path of a chocolate loving, uninhibited  five year old. 

      A mutual discussion followed that led to setting limits and rules that tightened up his early morning solo routine. The consequences for not following the rules were also made clear.

      The cake incident reinforced my long held belief that kids are often the best teachers of the adults who care for them. So, what did I learn? 

• Child proof a space before it becomes a problem
• Involve the child in limit setting and consequences  
• Involving the child means teaching the process and helping the child learn problem solving and impulse control

     

     This is not the last poor decision that Papa will make. I hope to learn much from my grandchildren. 

     So, what lessons have you learned from kids as you act as caregiver? Please share your experiences in the comment section. You are a vital part of making this blog a true community!

Till next time,

            Papa Jim