Look Out I'm Parenting Here! Getting Through The Day Chapter 4: See You Later Alligator (Part 1)

Snippet for "Look Out I'm Parenting Here!" Video

Be With Your Kids Until You're Gone

Finally, you are out the door! It was not easy, but hey, nothing today is easy. The most important thing is you are on the road, you are right on schedule, the roads are clear, and the weather is sunny. What can possibly go wrong? "Thank you Ted," you say, "for preparing me and helping me get my kids ready for the day!" I am going to hate to put an end to all these good feels, but as Lee Corso likes to say, "NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!"

That pencil is not even sharpened!

What if your destination is school, hockey practice, a birthday bash, something where you will not be in attendance? How do you execute a successful drop off of your child and leave all the drama and stress out of the equation? Ted says it all starts with being with your kids until you're gone. We have spoken before on how adults and kids operate at different time scales. Toddlers are not going to be as "future minded" as parents are and will tend to have all their focus on the present moment. After the rush of getting out of bed, getting a decent breakfast in your child, and funneling everybody in the car, your tendency will be to get some air and get your bearings straight. Maybe you will now have time to think about what else you have to do today.

The time to start planning out your day will come soon, AFTER the drop off. You are about to leave your child somewhere for potentially a good chunk of the day. Ted strongly advocates for enjoying these personal moments with your child and try to gain a perspective on what they are thinking. There will come a time when your child gets their license, and simple car rides like this will be a thing of the past.

A mother teaching her daughter about pedestrians, and how they will disregard traffic signals

Learn to appreciate your toddler's company and try to enter into their view of the world. In other words, enjoy the ride. Ask your toddler questions about what they see out the window, or what they are most excited about in school. Cherish this alone time together, especially with the challenge of dropping off your child coming up soon. We will get to that next, but for now, Be With Your Kids Until You're Gone.