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.