Well, not much has changed. Parliamentary crisis, I mean. Just waiting. Stephen Harper was on TV tonight addressing the nation and sounding not one teeny tiny bit willing to change his tone to conciliation. He probably thinks he IS being conciliatory, for heaven's sake. Stephane Dion had his usual trouble with English, but I still like this guy. Cooperation over conflict. Listen, if someone's willing to try that mode of operation, let's go with that.
At our house, we like to strive for cooperation over conflict. I get that it's hard. I get that sometimes even three-year-olds cannot bring themselves to say those really powerful words: "I'm sorry." I get that sometimes six-year-olds are "just so mad, I couldn't help myself, Mommy!" I get that sometimes seven-year-olds "don't know why" they did what they did. I get that these emotions belong to all of us, even as we grow older and attempt to grow wiser. Sometimes sorry really sticks in my throat, too. But you'll never even inch toward cooperation if you can't take responsibility for at least part of the trouble you find yourself in. That's been my mantra around the house these past two days: yes, I get that you're upset with (fill in the blank) because it's not fair ... but let's think a little harder here. (I am now thinking of a specific incident, walking to school, and having to share the sidewalk with a lot more snow, and therefore the kids plus stroller plus me are getting squeezed; Apple-Apple was infuriated because things had changed and she didn't like it). Let's find a plan that will work for everyone. It won't be perfect. You might not get to do everything you want. But you have the power to make changes, even small ones, to better your lot. And hitting doesn't count as power.
Babe's awake. I'm outta here.
Labels: kids, politics