Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Leader of the Day

One of the tips that I gleaned from other multiple moms is instilling a "leader of the day" tradition. This has proven to be tremendously helpful as my children become increasingly competitive with age.


The parameters are fairly loose in our family, but every third day ("It goes K P R Mommy!") each child gets a chance to be my 'go to.' Primarily, it determines who gets to be first to do things, who chooses clothes for the day, an afternoon activity or the restaurant for dinner. Additionally, since naps have become less frequent, I have been trying to do something special with the leader when time (and babysitting) permits. Generally, this just means running errands with Mommy.


Today was K's day, so we went to run a few errands, registered for gymnastics as a way to burn some excess energy indoors during these Winter months, got a "lem-a-lade" from Chick-fil-A and visited a local doll store. As we were heading home from our hour together K said, "Mommy, I love you. That was really fun."


I cannot describe how wonderful it felt to hear her express heartfelt gratitude without having to ask for it. I want to raise grateful children. I am reminded how important it is just to pause and notice what others have done. But noticing is not enough, voicing it makes all the difference.


Tonight after dinner, she did it again. 'Mommy, 'dis is good chicken soup. Thank you for making it."


It is enough to make even me want to cook every night!


I think as parents we can spend so much time perseverating on all the things we are dropping the ball on. We forget how good it feels to just enjoy the small victories. There were bad moments today. I lost my temper. I raised my voice. But as I lay my head on the pillow tonight I will think on my precious daughter's expression of a grateful heart and be satisfied that today was a good day.

7 comments:

Erickson 5 said...

Great post! We have "Star of the Day" around here too. Same concept and it has worked wonders! My kids love to have that extra little attention.
Nicole

Jenny said...

I love those moments of true gratitude from my kids! It's great! Those new pics on the top of your blog are AWESOME! I especially love the one of K. It's precious!

Anonymous said...

Love the idea of 'leader of the day'. Even with just 2 I think it will be great!

Gotta love gymnastics in the winter! Naptime after is pure bliss.

Dena said...

Great idea. Kids do love that one on one time. I took my 7 year old to the allergist where he got pricked with needles all over his back and then took him to Chick Filet. On the way home he said, "thank you mommy, this has been a fun day!"
It warmed my heart as well, and we really did have fun together, even at the allergist.
Great idea on the leader of the day, we may try that one as well.

Kim said...

What a great idea! And the more I read about Miss K, the more angelic she is to me. What a sweetheart.

My husband and I don't have children yet, but I want you to know that I'm taking notes on all of your tips...I often tell my husband, "I read the blog of the best mother in the world!" I can't wait to implement your ideas. :)

Shannon said...

Man,
Is it me or was that emotional? Whew! What a precious baby girl to thank you!
Shannon in Austin
I LOVE your stories/posts.

Christi said...

Very sweet post - and a lovely reminder. Thank you for always giving me something to think about!