… and watch a movie.
Hello again. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like writing here. Of course a lot has happened while I’ve been away, I just haven’t written about it.
I don’t know why today is different. It just is.
Fenner and Ellen are off at college and Charlotte, my youngest, is now 16. I took Charlotte to the doctor for a regular check-up. I love our pediatrician. She’s funny and disarming and humble. I respect her opinion.
I left the exam room half-way through the appointment as usual so the doctor and Charlotte can talk privately. We all think that’s a good idea. Of course I’m always tempted to listen in, but I don’t.
When they were done talking, the doctor came out to find me. She said, “Oh my gosh, she is so wonderful. I usually ask my teenage patients, ‘So, does your mom drive you crazy?’ you know, as a way to get them talking, but when I asked her she just said, ‘No, not at all!’ Wow. I hope I do as good a job with my kids as you have with yours.”
That meant a lot coming from her, and I felt a flood of gratitude. I’m not special or any kind of genius, I was just lucky enough to stumble upon some very good information and I picked it up and ran with it.
I wanted to take a minute and give her a nugget of what I’ve learned, pay it forward just a little. But time was up and she needed to see her next patient. If I had time here’s what I would have said:
1) Imagine yourself sitting beside your child in the horse-drawn carriage of their lives and every single day look for any opportunity, big or small, to hand over the reins. The small ones add up fast into something much bigger.
2) Make connecting a priority even if just for a moment— a high-five, a joke, a song, ten seconds of undivided attention.
In a nutshell: Remember to stay on the couch and watch a movie.
I’ll explain.
Just the other day, I was sitting on the couch reading when Charlotte called from the kitchen:
Charlotte: “Mooooom!!! The freezer won’t close!”
My brain: [Oh shit. Please don’t let there be anything really wrong with the freezer.]
My mouth: (without looking up) “Ok …”
Charlotte: (rummaging sounds, pushing on the door) “Mom, it won’t close! I don’t see anything in the way!”
Me: (still reading … and hoping) “Huh.”
Charlotte: (shoving harder on the door) “Mom! What should … wait … oh … It was a piece of bread! I got it! We’re good!”
Me: “Cool. Hey, what was that movie you wanted to watch tonight?”
After all this time, do I still have the urge to jump up and do the “lemme see, oh here’s the problem, good thing I was here to fix it” routine? Absolutely.
#Resist
(sorry, couldn’t … um … resist)
This isn’t easy and you won’t be perfect, but even a 50% increase in staying on the couch will make a world of difference toward not driving your kids crazy.
That’s my most important nugget.
High-five.
ps Do you have a stay-on-the-couch story? Tell me about it!