Not Everyone Runs On The Same Schedule

August 16, 2019

One trait I know I’m passing onto my children: good and bad is punctuality. I do not like being late. I’m sure it stems from my people pleasing tendencies of not wanting to make people wait for me, or letting people down because I didn’t arrive when I should. Being on time comes at a cost.

I get worked up about getting out the door on time. My time is spent rushing around making sure that the four or five other people in my house are on my schedule. I get antsy and irritable when people aren’t moving as fast as I would like them to. Mostly my heart rate is rushing because god forbid we are a few minutes late for something because I have anxiety about it.

There are people in my life who are the complete opposite of me and arrive places on their own time. Who knows what they are doing in order to be late.

For me, I get so worked up and need to relax. I have to remember that not everyone is wired like I am and that sense of urgency is not always there. My intent is give my children a time of departure and a ten minute warning. What you do within that time frame is up to you. I will then go sit in the car and wait.

As a bonus this is allowing them to become responsible for finding their own things and getting themselves out the door. If we are late, it’s not because I didn’t give them ample time. I have to let go of circumstances that are out of my control and that means other people.

What trait for good and bad are you passing along to your children?