This was advice I heard early on in my career. Sometimes you gotta play the game. It’s so true! Even though I may have thought that something should be done or approved much sooner, I have learned that sometimes it comes down to timing, or making your boss think it was his/her own idea! Whatever works!
In my own personal life as a parent, I too must play the game at home! I talked before about the rebranding I do for my kids to try to encourage cooperation and good listening, while making it fun. Sometimes this works well, and sometimes I’m just plain annoyed, tired, and too focused on getting the task at hand completed.
We had one of those times recently, when I was trying to get my son dressed. Since he’s three years old, he thinks that all of his clothes should be a size three. This logic works for big sister, who has pretty much been true to her size and age as she’s grown. Little brother is still wearing some size two clothes and often boycotts wearing size two because it doesn’t match his age. Before putting on a soccer t-shirt, he said, “Wait, I want to see if it’s size three.” It wasn’t, so he was refusing to put it on. Frustrated, I walked away.
Daddy O. stepped in with a genius move. He took the shirt and asked little brother, “Do you want to see the number three on it?” He nodded, yes. Daddy O. took a sharpie to the tag and wrote the number 3. Upon seeing it, little brother GLADLY put on the newly labeled shirt. AMAZING!
Thanks to Daddy O. I’ve learned to play the “numbers game.” Here’s the picture of the shirt I recently re-labeled so my son would wear it. Whatever works, right?!
Play the game while getting dressed – a new size!
How do you play the game as a parent? Are there any other sayings you’ve heard at work that also apply to your life at home?
Related Posts
Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde – The Pinterested Parent – this post applies to ANY toddler / preschooler! It’s a good one (and an all-around fun blog to follow), so go check it out!
