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Show Sign up the kids for your family team Teamwork is an essential life skill. Even the most independent maverick among us needs to know how to function within a group. As '""v "n yr: Children i -a & School V I by Lily Eskelsen a culture, we are obsessed with signing up our children for teams. We want our children involved in soccer games and Little League and volleyball and drill teams, hoping they will develop a talent for teamwork. team-work. But the most important team our children should have to learn to work with is the one they wake up with everyday. The family is a team and parents are the coaches. It's up to Mom and Dad to set the stage for the cooperation coopera-tion that's needed for a successful "team." From their earliest years, children need to be responsible for family chores beyond their own rooms and their own messes (which for my children are usually one and the same). Pulling weeds, painting the garage, washing the kitchen floor art; opportunities for children and parents to work together for the good of the team. It doesn't matter if Mom works solely in the home, if Dad is only home on the weekends, if sister's really busy with her new job, or if brother's got a part in Uie school play and just doesn't have any time. No one person should be thought of as being there to wait on other family members. Each member should be given the chance to know the importance of his or her contribution con-tribution to a successful team. I suppose it is only fair to warn parents that my experience with teen-agers is that they will sincerely tell you that they really don't want or need this opportunity, thank you very much! Coaches, don't be confused. con-fused. Rookies don't always understand the strategy. Mowing the lawn, setting the table, tending younger children, running to the store for milkto a successful family team, these positions posi-tions are as important as quarterback, quarter-back, pitcher or goalie. Few young children are going to thank their parents for making them follow through on family responsibilities. Few adult children are going to forget the basic game plan when it's time to coach their own teams. i |