My children – seven, six, and three – are great accountability partners. Ask any parent and they’ll likely attest to the ability of a child to keep desires or goals in focus. It’s honestly kind of impressive.
Now, this gift of singular clarity is not always appropriate, given the lack of context for replacing spent art materials vs. being on time for an important meeting. (Sorry, did I say that one out loud?) But even that is not the fault of a young mind, merely a lack of maturity to weigh and calculate the value of actions on tasks that have imperceptibly differing values.
Perhaps that is part of the lesson: learning to define and communicate the value of a task within the context of life’s changing seasons. I love how a simple OODA loop – observe, orient, decide, act – can organize thoughts and emotions toward an objective. How often do I find myself working on something that lacks defendable value purely from lack of clarity?
I think we can learn a lot from asking a child to help us remember things. Their perfect reset at the start of each day is inspiring; I’m fairly convinced that I should learn from their always-on level of focus. My momentum can slow even on well-defined tasks simply because I don’t see them to completion in a timely manner. Part of the work has been done but the excitement has worn away…so I move on.
That’s where the larger aspect of these habits snaps into view: what we model and train our children to see as true progress will be their blueprint for life. While it’s important that Dad get to a meeting on time, the life value of being dependable is the higher target we aim toward. Helping them play a role in learning that balance (ex: “ask me about that at lunch”) can do great good for everyone involved. I need that reminder just as much as they do.