Life skills start early on the big yellow bus

Posted on 15. Jan, 2010 by Susan Wright in Life Coaching

I’m tough sometimes; other times, I give in, or lose it. Yesterday was one of those mornings when I lost it. For the first time ever I walked along a busy street with tears streaming in full view of those passing by.  It was one of those moments as a working mother that I felt conflicted and frustrated. The instigator was the early morning plea of my child to stay home (not wanting to go to school) and my youngest fighting the snow pants off with all his might.  Any working parent with me here? So the point of this blog post is not to relieve my emotions and muster up an online support group, it’s really to share a story of connection and compassion for doing things that take courage and navigating through life.

Everyday my four and a half year old must get on a big yellow bus and sit among children he really doesn’t know. He then has to face up to the task of getting his winter outerwear and boots off independently and not loosing his socks in the process. All of which he does with a degree of tolerance and adult responsibility.  There are things that happen in the course of his day that I don’t get a glimpse of, that he alone must negotiate and manage.  Life skills start early, and in the last 24 hours I realize just how much we can miss or at best, find a way to support one another with guidance, listening and conversation.

Yesterday I almost gave in to his plea but then I would have forsaken my own responsibilities and ultimately feel just as frustrated. Funny that I’ve been writing about choice and priorities in the past few days as well as reading about it in a book review and life coaching post. Often we do battle with ourselves over conflicting priorities, but that’s not it because aren’t priorities some sort of ranking system? So the truth, it’s our conflicting emotions and underlying values that we must negotiate or simply stay aware of. I don’t believe that any of us are that far removed from a four year old getting on that yellow bus each day. There are emotions and skills that affect our ability to manage and perform at our best. We each have sensitivities that only we can learn to uniquely manage.

Yesterday and today I benefited from a few people listening and engaging in authentic conversation.  I praise the daycare providers and the early childhood educators who truly care and take the time to share a little piece of their life as well. For when they do, I feel we really are all on equal footing when it comes to rearing children. In other words, no one has the perfect answer, resolution, or development plan, but what is necessary is a collaborative and open stance to how we help one another (our children) develop skills and strengths to manage life and all its’ turning points.

I have the most profound feeling of pride for my son and what he courageously takes on each and every day.  His experience is relative to that of adults, we too must get on that big yellow bus everyday.  Our world may be more complex and yet many of the skills we require started at a very early age.  Yesterday I was once again made aware of my emotional intelligence and the transient moments of when I lack awareness or the appropriate response. What I gained though, was an opportunity to connect with my feelings and those of others who share my overall concern for well-being, building capacity, and personal development.

Life creates opportunities to test us. Sometimes I don’t react or respond as I ought to; however, through our human connection we are guided to learn the skills necessary and complementary to deal with those challenging mornings and life building moments.  What will it take for you to get on that bus today? What’s your story?

Susan

Tags: authentic conversations, building capacity, collaboration, courage, emotional intelligence, life, personal development, transition, Working Mother