We were sitting at a table eating lunch at a restaurant on Portage Lakes when my mom and my stepdad told me that they were thinking about moving to another city. I was 10.
They made a pro's and con's list with me and helped me to process through the decision. We talked about everything... They helped me to think through what it would mean to change school's, homes, neighborhoods and friends.
For an adult, a move and a few changes is not that big of a deal. For a 10 year old kid, it's practically the end of the world.
The way they handled that situation taught me a ton.
1) They put themselves in my shoes and recognized that this was going to have a big impact on me.
2) They cared about my ownership of the decision.
3) They chose to lead me through a discovery process that helped me to have confidence and excitement for, what would normally be, a pretty scary decision.
They could have just told me what was going to happen.
They could have demanded that I accept the decision.
Instead, they stopped to listen to me and help me process through it.
This simple conversation taught me a lot about how to communicate and help those closest to me process through changes. Thanks for the education, Mom & Dad!
Ryan
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