This blog post was supposed to be about elevator buttons. I’d thought about it all day, and I have some things I want to say. But then I sat on the couch to write, and my six-year-old daughter sat next to me.While I wrote the first paragraph, she watched Phineas and Ferb on her Kindle. I tried to block out the sound, but caught a reference to gum. My daughter heard the same thing and said, “I want gum.” I suggested she check her Halloween candy, and she came back with a piece of Double Bubble (“Is Double Bubble gum?”) and Super Bubble.“I want someone to teach me how to blow a bubble.”Challenge accepted.We each took a piece of gum and after a couple of minutes she said, “Mine is soft now.” I tried to walk her through the process, showing her how to do it with my own piece of gum. It’s not easy.She tried again and narrowly avoided spitting her gum across the room. Despite her best efforts, no bubble ever emerged. But we’ve covered the basics, and with plenty of practice, and a few dozen pieces of gum, I’m sure she’ll blow a bubble soon.My ten-year-old son saw what we were doing and asked me to teach him. I gave him the same directions and he’s almost got it. His cheeks look a bit like Dizzy Gillespie’s, so perhaps he’s blowing a bit too hard, but he’s close.Watching these two kids blow bubbles reminded me of one of the greatest, and rarest, joys of parenting: immediate results.Much of parenting is a leap of faith. We’ve only got one chance to be a good parent to our kids, and if we screw it up then we’ve created another jerk for the world. And if there’s one thing this world doesn’t need, it’s more jerks.I’ve got four kids, and I think I’ve figured out that good parenting isn’t rocket science. There’s no great secret. All it takes is spending time with your kids, showing interest in them, supporting them, and teaching them. There's no substitute for any of it.Although, you’ll notice that I said I think I’ve figured it out. I won’t really know for at least another decade. Then we’ll see how they turned out.Luckily, not every aspect of parenting requires such a long delay before figuring out whether it’s successful.Bubble blowing is one of these immediate results examples. I work with my kids, I teach them how to do it, I tell them what they’re doing wrong, I make sure they practice, and eventually they’ll get it. No decade-plus wait to see if I know what I’m talking about. Validation comes with success.There are a number of different times during childhood when we can gain immediate results. We teach our kids to: ride a bike, tie their shoes, catch a fish, throw a baseball, skip a rock, use chopsticks, pick an apple, and parallel park. Kids need to learn all of these things, and if we just take the time to show them, they’ll catch on, and we get to enjoy immediate results.Parenting can be a challenge because there are no shortcuts. Unless you decide to just pawn off the responsibility of parenting your child to someone else entirely, it takes consistent, dedicated, sustained effort to be a good parent.Coincidentally, that same kind of effort is required—but in lesser amounts—to learn the skills I previously mentioned.So in that way, teaching your kids the little things—how to brush their teeth, how to cut their food—not only gives them the skill you’re teaching, but also shows them the value of effort.
When I started writing this post, my son couldn’t blow a bubble. He’s been practicing the entire time I’ve been writing, and now he can. He’s got a thin, sticky skin of bubble gum adhered to his upper lip as proof.With some luck he’ll realize that maybe I know what I’m talking about. This time it’s just blowing a bubble. But I’ve also taught him how to ride a bike, how to tie his shoes, and how to throw a baseball.My guidance and his effort led to success. So hopefully, the next time I’m teaching him something—something more important than blowing bubbles—he’ll realize that I know what I’m talking about, and that if he listens to me, and puts forth effort, he’ll figure it out.And when he does, I'll be there to congratulate him. No matter how long it takes.Click here to receive an e-mail each time I write a new post! Guaranteed spam-free, unsubscribe any time IF YOU LIKED THIS POST I BET YOU'LL ALSO LIKE: Why Are Parents so Dumb?PREVIOUS POST: The Cubs World Series Victory Parade and Rally Didn't Have Five-Million in Attendance