The week before Christmas my boss had a table full of the little desktop daily calendars and offered everyone the chance to come by and select one that they wanted. Being rushed for time, I popped in the office and grabbed one that sounded interesting - Life’s Little Instruction Calendar by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Now that I have made it through a week of the little messages, I have to say that I am very happy with my calendar selection.
This calendar has some great little tips and instructions that are certainly applicable to dads and the best part is that I have already seen a few that can apply at home and/or work. Since I am enjoying this calendar so much, I thought it would be fun to highlight a few of the tips and share my thoughts as well.
Do all that you possibly can for yourself before asking for help.
This tip is one that I think is great for the office as there is nothing more frustrating than working with someone that does not attempt to find the answer on their own and immediately relies on others to help them. There is a fine line however because it is possible to be too stubborn about asking for help and spend too much time spinning your wheels. A good sign that you might be asking for help too soon is if you find yourself asking the same questions more than once or twice.
Take seriously any kid who says, “I need to use the bathroom.”
As any dad who has heard this question in the middle of the interstate, 35 miles from the next rest stop can tell you - it is no joke! When you hear these words uttered you might be lucky and have 2-5 minutes before it will be too late, but I would not recommend pushing the envelope unless you have a change of clothes on hand. As your kids get older you might be able to get an extra minute or two but do not delay.
Watch your attitude; others are.
Whether you are at home or at the office, I believe this is something that you always need to remember. Even though you may not be aware that others are watching your attitude and how you respond to various situations, they are watching.
One area that this has really hit home for me is when I am driving with my wife and kids. I’ve been known to let a few $@#! words fly while driving which the kids never seem to miss and make it a point to tell everyone what they heard dad say in the car. I have also noticed that when I am agitated while driving that it is more likely to see the kids fighting in the back seat, likely picking up on my attitude.
Never tell a woman you liked her hair better “the way it was.”
I really don’t think there is anything more that I can say about this one!
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Take seriously any kid who says, “I need to use the bathroom.”
Haha, that’s good advice. The grown-up version would be someone that’s been drinking and tell you “I need to barf”.
My last holiday, was the first with the family and my one year old child. It’s definitely not the same as going on vacation with friends or alone.
I have to second the “do all you can” part. My poor boss at work gets a million questions a day and can’t get anything done because so many of his sales team can’t or won’t think for themselves before they ask questions (myself sometimes included).