Day 9: Family Meeting Without A Net

Last night we celebrated my mother in law having her kitchen cabinets installed. This may not seem like cause for celebration in your world, but they are beautiful and this moment brings her one step

closer to living in her new house. After being dazzled in her kitchen, the five of us headed over to Oggi's for dinner. When the destination was announced, Little Miss immediately started pontificating about how there are televisions EVERYWHERE in that place. And, most importantly, that her sister would be sneaking looks! After several reminders that two parents were enough for The Teen, we set off.


I must admit, Little Miss was not wrong about the access to screens. Oggi's is a sports bar/restaurant, so this was not a surprise like it is in so many other places we frequent. (I feel like a chapter in the theoretical book I will someday write is going to be about how the need for human to human interaction is nearly obsolete.) The dining experience was peppered with loud reminders to not be looking at the televisions, but how could one avoid it? Then, the lightbulb went off. "Hey, I called a family meeting last night and we forgot to have it! Tonite. 8pm. Family room.", declared Little Miss.

There are moments in every parent's journey where you are looking for the nearest hole to crawl into. Those are contrasted with moments that shine. Well, put on your sunglasses - here comes the shine. We returned home and were summoned into the family room and asked to sit down. Little Miss then declared that there was "too much sneaking" happening in this family, herself included. More significantly, this had to stop so that we could all focus on being more kind to one another. While her delivery could have been a little softer and more controlled, she was earnest. I asked her what she was willing to commit to, personally. She thought for a moment and then delivered her commitment to the family. One by one, each of us made a promise to do better, be different. My little leader... 11 years old and already extracting promises from 40-somethings. Well done!

You may be wondering about the title to this post... Yesterday I got to work and got settled at my desk. I opened my handbag and there were the new prescription bottles for the Little Miss' ADHD medication. Ooops. And, the kids were at home all day with the good doctor as he worked from home  on the Christmas Eve message. Sorry, Kev. FHPC friends - don't worry about the quality of future messages... They were secured AT HOME for Day 10.