It’s that time of year again. Back to school. With the abundance of store specials and advertisements on television, the occasion has practically achieved holiday status.
One of the most heartwarming moments of my life came on the morning of the first day of school last year.
As we stood near the end of my driveway, anxiously waiting the school bus’s arrival, my daughters turned to me and asked me to take my phone out and film a video.
I wasn’t initially inclined to acknowledge their request, but they were persistent.
“Daddy, please…PLEASE…use your phone to film this video!”
Eventually, I caved in to their demands. And I am glad I did, because what transpired next has had a substantial impact on my life.
Sporting big smiles and with their arms locked around each other’s necks, my daughters looked into the lens and very eloquently said, “First day of school, and we’re going to be good teammates this year.”
Their impromptu—and unsolicited—proclamation, put a lump in my throat. Of all the possible words they could have spoken, I did not expect to hear those words.
My interest in the good teammate mindset developed from a desire to offer a bit of final advice to my daughters if something should ever happen that would preclude me from being in their lives.
That desire is what led to my children’s book Be A Good Teammate.
My daughters’ choice in words that morning meant so much to me because they provided validation to my efforts.
I planted a seed in their hearts and had put considerable effort into nurturing that seed and trying to get it to take root.
As any parent, teacher, or coach will attest, it can be incredibly frustrating to figure out if the lesson taught is being absorbed.
The message from my daughters’ video assured me that the lesson was in fact being absorbed. That video inspired me to dive deeper into the subject of being a good teammate and put more effort into sharing what I’ve discovered with others.
Yesterday, my daughters embarked on the start of another school year. Once again, they asked me to film a video of them before they left for school. I had a clue what the subject of the video might be this time, so I wasn’t quite as surprised.
However, my daughters were attending a new school this year and I was nervous about the transition.
Enrolling in a new school can be an incredibly stressful situation for any kid. In this case, and judging by the tone of their most recent video, I suspect I was stressing more about it than either of them were.
By relentlessly encouraging them to be good teammates, and reinforcing exactly what that means, I would like to believe that I gave them the confidence to handle the stress of this potentially traumatic experience.
The seed I planted was indeed taking root.
I had repeatedly told them that good teammates will always have friends because people of all ages have an inherent desire to be around individuals who care and who are kind.
When my daughters got home from school yesterday, I asked them the same three questions that I always do. (Every parent knows it is like pulling teeth to get information out of their children when it comes to how the day went, so we’ve agreed to allow me three guaranteed questions every day after school.)
Question 1: What did you eat for lunch today?
Question 2: Who did you play with at recess today?
Question 3: Did you make any good teammates moves today?
The first two questions are just set-up questions, although I am usually humored by their answers. What I really want, though, is to hear the answers to the third question.
Good teammate moves are all of those little gestures of kindness that may be minor inconveniences to us, but make all the difference in someone else’s life.
It’s sharing your crayons with a classmate that doesn’t have any. It’s helping a classmate pick up the papers that scattered from the folder they dropped. It’s giving a classmate a hug when they are sad. It is standing up to a bully for your classmate.
I am never disappointed in the answers I get from my children. They always reaffirm the significance of teaching them to be good teammates.
If you have children, make an effort tonight to ask them if they made any good teammate moves today. In time, their answers will inspire you too.
When you’re done with your children, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself the same question.
What good teammate moves did you make today?
The world cannot have too many good teammates…and it’s never too late to become a better teammate.
Remember: Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
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