Cookies for breakfast

A lot of people think that asking for things is difficult and; therefore, not worth the effort. But, the truth of the matter is that asking for things is one of the easiest things you can do. If you don't think that's right, then just take a look at the children around you.

My two-year-old daughter asks for everything. When she wakes up she asks for breakfast. She starts off asking for cookies. When I say no, she asks for candy (also a "no"). She asks for cake and cupcakes. After going through an extensive list of "no" items, we make it to the "yes" items. At nap time, she asks to read 40 books. We negotiate and she gets to read two. She asks for 20 more minutes of bath time and we negotiate down to five. There's a pattern here. It involves a sense of fearlessness in asking for things in the mind of my daughter. She knows what she wants. She's willing to compromise. And, she understands (or at least can repeat verbatim) that she can ask but Mommy can always say no. This understanding of potentially being told no doesn't dissuade her. She always asks. And, as is possible with each of us, there are many times she receives what she asks for.

Fearlessness does not guarantee that you're going to always receive what you ask for. It does guarantee at least one of these possibilities: 1. you'll get what you ask for, 2. you'll get something, even if it's less than you ask for, 3. you won't get what you ask for, but will most likely be in no worse place than if you didn't ask. Having this fearlessness opens up your possibilities. It allows you to dream of what could be and then ask for it.

I encourage you to open up to your inner two-year-old and think of the great things you want...you might just get your own version of "cookies for breakfast"!

Comments

Leadership Mom: SWOT Analysis

In business, leaders often analyze our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats through a SWOT analysis. So, if we are going to look at our role as moms as being the greatest leadership opportunity to us, let's start with analyzing ourselves and our kids. Here's the SWOT I developed for my family: Family SWOT Analysis As a doting mother, there are hundreds of strengths that I could put up here for my kids. Their hugs, kisses, bedtime stories and prayers, the fact that they come to me when they're seeking healing from an injury (physical or emotional), the notes and drawings they make for me, their precious hearts when they try to help me or that they've learned how to use the Keurig to bring me coffee in the morning...I could go on and on. Now, here's the part where we get honest with ourselves. Yes, we love our kids and we love our family (or, hopefully, most of the time), but we are not perfect. Nor should we be perfect. As we analyze oursel

Cybersecurity 101

One of the things that continually amazes me as a parent of young(er) children is their ability to quickly understand technology and its uses. Not only have my children learned the art of swiping to use different devices, but they've also learned how to access apps, take pictures, answer calls (both phone and Skype), and more. My children could teach their grandparents a lesson or two on how to use technology. But, as a student of cybersecurity, I have seen a greater need to educate my children - as well as so many others - on the cybersecurity. This goes beyond posting inappropriate pictures and unfriendly words on social media (although these lessons must also be taught). This goes into the nature of understanding the benefits and risks of using technology and the privacy lost to it. The major premise that must be understood in regards to cybersecurity is that information/data is money. It's value is continually increasing. We need to secure our information just as w

Why can't they just be friends?

Why can't my kids just be friends? I must ask myself this question hundreds of times during the week. I thought that having kids relatively close together was going to be great. They'd have a playmate and an automatic friend. However, the truth is that - most of the time - they don't get along. It's not that they're enemies...it's that they drive each other crazy. They each want the other one to do what they want to do. Then, when the other one does what they want, they get mad at them because they wanted to do it themselves. They don't want to share their toys. Then, they play together only to then get mad and purposefully break the other sibling's toys. They want to get the other one in trouble so that they look like the "good" child and get more rewards. Then they get upset that the other sibling got them in trouble when they *tattled* on them. At mealtimes, they want to sit where the other one is sitting. They want the c

Murphy's Laws for Moms

Search This Blog