Seeking the Sweet Spot

November 10, 2022

One of my most-hated adulting chores is compiling tax documentation for my accountant. Completing it by the deadline each year usually requires a powerful incentive, so back in the early days of KOAA, I'd enlist my kids. They'd hang out nearby with candy at the ready: Each time I'd toss trash into the recycling bin, I'd get an orange, yellow, or brown M&M; if I'd successfully sort a paper into its proper stack, they'd hand over one that was red or green. For a more significant achievement, like completing the list of my deductible expenses, I'd get two or even three blue ones.

Not only did this little ritual make a tedious chore bearable, it also became a formative lesson for Madison and Ella: Everyone needs help sometimes, even grownups. Becoming able to find help when you need it is essential to success in life. Doing so as a matter of course, free of shame, is adulting of the highest order.

November is often the time of the school year when it first becomes clear that a child is struggling. A tiny course correction now can make a world of difference later, so if you notice stress, step in early and offer to coordinate assistance. Our list of Tutors and Tutoring Centers in your area can serve as a starting point. But it's also important to consider whether the problem might be more of an issue of the day-to-day educational environment. If a school switch seems in order, our list of local private schools provides options, and this coming Monday, our annual special e-newsletter about local private schools will arrive in your in-box. Also consider whether signing on to the micro-school revolution might be right for your family; here's an article from Forbes about what that is and why it's becoming increasingly popular post-Covid.

Some say the tougher the path, the sweeter the success, and that might be true. But I'm also a big fan of engineering the path itself to be a sweet experience, and here at KidsOutAndAbout.com, our mission is to make that as easy as possible. You'll need to supply your own chocolate, though.

—Deb