When You Have Bad News, Temper It With Some Good News. 7/11/2022

 Good Morning,

Today I have the luxury of having a job and I get to drop my nephew and his wife off at the airport so they can enjoy their honeymoon and some time away together. I just poured a hot cup of Door County Inn Keepers Blend Coffee and now it is time to write. 

1 Timothy 5:1 Do not rebuke an older man, but encourage him. 

One thing I learned in business is that there are times when you have to take things away from people. This applies to life as well. At times you might have to take something away from your children and when you do that they act as if you took their right arm. Employees never think that taking away something is fair. This also applies when the time comes and you have to make a decision for your parents. They raised you and all of a sudden you have to decide what is best for them. This can be tough for them because they have lived independently and now they might not be able to. Most parents don't want to live with their children. The parent does not want to be a burden to their children. Yet moving away from their home to an assisted living or nursing home is traumatic. No doubt it is hard to accept the fact that others are making your decisions at times.

I also learned that when taking something away it is best to offer a comparable substitute or anything that looks good and is a win for those losing something. 

For instance when a child has their phone taken away you will hear the cries from 100 miles away. But Junior is spending too much time on the phone and is not getting enough sleep. A possible solution is to have the phones all parked at night. Once the grades go up and you prove that more time spent studying actually works, a time of celebration that includes Mom or Dad spending time with the child is a win-win. 

When a parent has to move into an assisted living facility and has to eat meals on time every day you might have to spend more time taking the parent places. You might find yourself at the BINGO hall. This is a win -win. 

So today as you have to make unpopular decisions. always do what is best for the one involved and take away freedoms as you see fit. But try to replace the freedom with something nice.

God bless,

Marty