Waiting Around

Saturday, as it is for many of you, is often filled with cleaning, sporting events, birthday parties, and extra little chores that you didn't make it to earlier in the week. Often as parents our time is not our own as we try to be supportive and chauffeur our children around to the events that will undoubtedly be moments in their lives that ultimately will be forgotten. However, they seem meaningful and worthwhile at the moment. For us this last Saturday began at 7:50 am when we were awaken by the phone ringing and the subsequent reminder that we should be at the church building by 8 am to clean. Quickly we roused the children offering half bowls of cereal to anyone who could be dressed and downstairs in 5 minutes. We arrived at the church by 8:05 and finished by 8:45 am. Arriving home, we had a big breakfast, did some cleaning, and then began the afternoon. Megan had a birthday party, and the twins had dress rehearsal for their Nutcracker ballet. We also had treats to finish and run around to neighbors and friends. To sum up, we left the house at 12:30, and didn't get back until 7 pm. Kimber and Sean opted to stay home, and here is the point of the story . . . I called home to let Sean know that we were finally coming home. When asked what he was doing, his rely was, "I'm waiting around for something to happen." I found that highly amusing, but in retrospect - highly disturbing. I began to wonder if that is the kind of example that I am setting for my children, if somehow I give the impression that I am "waiting around for something to happen", instead of making it happen myself. Am I somehow training my children that instead of picking up their things, taking charge of their homework, doing service for others, or just living their lives that they should wait around for someone to tell them what to do, or where to go, or that it's important to do things when you see that they need doing, and not just wait around for it to get done on their own. I'm not sure that I'm making sense, but I'd really like to work this week on helping my children to see that life should never be boring. There is always something to be done, something new to see, to learn, to appreciate, and if they are just sitting around waiting for something to happen then they are completely missing the boat.