3-23-11 Hey Kids…

Last Saturday was the first big day of spring. And Dad got overwhelmed.

Too many things to do, and too short on time. Like water hydrants that need to be un-winterized. Hay bale netting strewn about the levee. A ladder left in the orchard. A flat tire on the trailer that’s been there all winter. Beehives not ready for spring placement. Fences to mend. Garden to rotor-till. Hay strewn all over the yard. Pruning branches everywhere. Various other messes. Things Dad has always expected to be done in the spring.

How did Dad expect these things to get done? They were things that were apparent to Dad’s eye, things that Levi & Jesse used to do routinely. But now Levi & Jesse have other jobs. So nothing got done this year.

Whose fault was it? The older boys? The middles? Or Dad? That’s right – it was Dad. Although Dad spent a lot of time with Levi & Jesse, teaching them outside chores, it’s clear that that same training never made it to you middle kids. Maybe Dad thought the older kids were teaching the younger kids, or the younger kids were learning from the older kids’ example. Sometimes that works. But usually it doesn’t happen that way.

Here’s the point. As a dad, if you do nothing, nothing happens. To make something happen, it takes a lot of time and effort. That’s what we want you to remember. And here’s how you do it.

First, be vigilant in seeing what needs to be done. Second, make a mental note about the task. Third, write it down. Fourth, teach and remind.

So.

Dad buckled down, followed the four easy steps, and what do you know, things are looking much better. No more trashed farm, and Saturdays are looking calmer.

That’s the way life is. You think you have something under control, and then circumstances change. What you thought was under control is no longer under control. So what do you do? Flounder on? Or follow the four easy steps that aren’t so easy? But the end result of the four easy steps is something we like. A lot.

And don’t think this process is only good for a hobby farm in the country. Mom uses this concept to run the house, because she can’t do it all herself. It’s also called delegation, and it’s applicable to any situation in life where there is too much to do. Like volunteer organizations. Like a church. Like the workplace. Like a Harvest of Gold presentation. But especially it’s applicable to a dad who has lots of other roles to fulfill, and all at the same time.

Pretty basic? You’d think so, but it’s not. The evidence is everywhere. Sometimes people get it, and sometimes they don’t. We want you kids to get it, to understand its importance, and to pass it on to your kids so they get it too.

Kids, when you’re the dad or mom, remember – don’t stall out when you’re overwhelmed. Fix the system. Four easy steps, one at a time. Teach and remind. And don’t try to short cut.

Keep on keepin’ on.

Dad & Mom