With the 30th season of Survivor now running, I thought of how life has a way of being ironic at times. When I first started watching Survivor my children were all much younger. I remember thinking that I should be a contestant on that game because if I could ” Out Wit, Out Play, Out Last” my children then I could win the real game. Let’s face it, there are days we are trying to think faster than a 3 or 4-year-old and sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don’t. My goal was to go to bed at night, put my head on my pillow and be able to say even if I didn’t ‘outwit or outplay’, at least I ‘outlasted’. I must confess, there were days I couldn’t say that, but on the whole, I could say “mission accomplished“. So the slogan of that game helped me survive some very long days.
This is not to be negative at all as it is not a chore working with and around your children. It is important to accomplish what you think is necessary to get done in order to teach your children what you feel is important for them to learn. I love it when my children challenge me and so the only time I stop them from doing so is when there is a negative attitude coming from the challenge.
Since the day my third child knew what a challenge was, he would do so. Most of the time I don’t mind, but I can tell you that was not always the case. It took me longer than it should have to realize that when done correctly it was healthy for both them and me to be challenged. If I am saying or doing something and they challenge me, I had better have a good reason for why I am saying or doing so. Knowing you have a child who will challenge you will help you ensure you are doing things for the right reasons.
The other benefit to playing this game with your children is that you help them develop the skill of working with people. A necessary skill in the workforce. The knack, of course, is to do so without have a negative motive for what you are doing.
*http://www.cafepress.com.au/+survivortv+gifts