Everyone Likes to Have a Choice
One of my favorite things about being Papa is getting one-on-one time with my granddaughters. ❤️
When Bristol’s older sister got to go to Worlds of Fun, I decided it was the perfect opportunity for a special Papa date with my five-year-old granddaughter. Since we weren’t going to the theme park, we created our own adventure: Donuts of Fun!
We started at a local donut shop that Bristol got to choose. Not only did she pick her donut, but she also got to select mine. Fortunately, she chose a delicious bear claw. I suspect the intriguing donut name had something to do with it!
Next, we headed to a thrift store. Her mission? Pick out a dress for herself and a shirt for me.
I’ll admit, I was a little nervous. What exactly would I be wearing when we left the store? 😂
Bristol found the perfect dress, complete with lots of tulle for dress-up. Then we headed to the men’s section to find my shirt.
At first, she was eyeing some 3XL shirts. I wasn’t sure whether she thought I needed a tent or was trying to tell me something! But as we worked our way toward more appropriate sizes, she spotted a dark blue dri-fit T-shirt that I probably would have picked myself.
I stepped out of the dressing room, and she looked at me with a big smile.
“YES!”
Apparently, I had passed her inspection!
We didn’t ride roller coasters or eat cotton candy, but we had a fun time. What I loved most was seeing Bristol’s excitement and pride as she made the decisions. She wasn’t just along for the ride. She was leading the adventure!
It reminded me of something important: one of the best ways we can help someone grow is to give them the opportunity to lead.
Sometimes, we’re tempted to take over because we know what we would do or think we can do it better ourselves. But when we step back, offer a little guidance, and let someone else make the decisions, we give them something valuable: the chance to build confidence, learn from experience, and develop the ability to make bigger decisions down the road.
Whether it’s a grandchild, a teammate, or someone we’re mentoring, we don’t just want to do things for them. We want to equip them to do things for themselves.
Sometimes that starts with something as simple as choosing a donut or picking out Papa’s shirt.
Who knows? Those little choices today might help prepare them for the big choices tomorrow.
And if you’re lucky, you might even get a bear claw out of the deal! ❤️
