So what?

This is me applying my work-related leadership training to my home life. They taught us a management trick to ask "so what?" when things start to turn sour. It helps figure out what's the worst that could happen, and then recognize that even the worst isn't that bad. "So what?" is also a good question to ask yourself when everything seems to be overwelming, to help prioritize what needs attention first. So, here are my so-what's from this weekend.

So what if L doesn't learn to talk...ever? She's learning sign language a lot faster than I expected, and is just now getting the connection that if she makes the sign for what she wants, most of the time she'll get it. She hears just fine and understands what we're saying. Probably, most likely, she will start talking more. I've noticed more kiddos in our community in similar situations, needing help talking. And I watched a fellow 2-year-old talk up a storm this weekend, and it didn't actually bother me this time. It was kind of a factual recognition but not a comparison in a bad way. Yes, they are the same age and yes, L has a lot of ground to catch up, but so what? We're making progress, she's learning to communicate in another way, and in my mind, I wouldn't change a thing about her! She's still perfect!

So what if M is a hellion every once in awhile? Last week her preschool teacher politely informed me that M has not been good at school. That is a HUGE deal in our house, especially since DH is a teacher. The so-what I'm picturing is M , all dressed in black with piercings all over her ears and nose and tattoes covering her body, setting in juvenile detention. All that, just from a fit or two at preschool. Okay, so the so-what doesn't work in this situation, but at least reasonably I know it won't be THAT bad.

So what if K spent 3000 webkinz dollars in one afternoon? Worse case, her Webkinz starve to death, she learns about saving money, and she does without a Webkinz for a few months until she can buy her own or Grandma gives in and buys one for her. (FYI my ruling on this is if she spends all her money on interior decorating for her Webkinz rooms and can't afford to feed her Webkinz and as a result it dies, I'm not buying her a new one for a long long time.)

So what if DH's garden is out of control? Right now he's got 100s of plants to go in the ground, literally. And as long as I force it abit, at least K and M will spend time with him helping withe garden. But if the plants don't succeed, he's out his time but not much money. If they do succeed, maybe he'll be able to sell all that produce and make enough to buy a fireplace next fall so we can save on our heating bills. And if they do succeed and he can't sell it all, then we'll have lots of canned goods for ourselves, which is a good idea with the increasing prices in groceries and gasoline.

And... so what if we can't afford to drive this summer? Worse case scenario, we stay home and bond as a family. We take lots of trips to the little zoo in town and bike rides around the area. We save money by not staying a hotel or going to an amusement park. We have more time to can vegetables, work on M behavior, earn Webkinz dollars, and teach L more signs.

So what! :)