Snafus and Snags
I’ve been honest with you from the beginning. Last year was my first foray into volunteering of any sort since high school. I began as a complete novice to family volunteering, and I am constantly humbled by incredible examples of how others are sharing their generosity with the world.
Like any novice, I have missed the mark a time or two. Just as my girls in the picture above are dressed and poised for a bus ride but clearly end up in the middle of the street. Right idea, missed execution.
The following isn’t an exhaustive list, just a few notable foibles.
1) Case of the Missing Milk: I revealed my first major mistake during our premier Meals on Wheels deliveries. Overwhelmed by a system that seemed complex but is now remarkably simple, I was tripped up by first-day confusion. I wound up one milk short on my last delivery, and sheepishly ran out and bought a half gallon of milk at a nearby store to replace it. This left two embarrassed people (me and the poor client who would rather have overlooked the missing milk) and two hungry little people (the girls of course). It was a simple case of right idea, poor execution.
2) The Case of Snap Judgment: Remember Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed? I spent an entire post pleading for books with a moral as well as an imagination-catching story, certain from my first week of drowsy reads that Mary did not have what it took. Several months later, the girls are more in love with it than most other books featured in the Kinder Book Club. It gets pulled out every few days! Miss Kindergarten often talks of being like Mary and suggests we try some of the nice things listed in the book. This was a winner, though I couldn’t see it in the beginning.
3) The Case of Unwanted Caring: I was so excited to put together “We Care” packages for our Meals on Wheels route. Unfortunately they weren’t well received among our clients. These proudly independent people had already been given something called a Snowflake Box earlier in the season. They were skeptical that they should be getting something else. One man in particular wanted confirmation that was from Meals on Wheels and not us personally. I don’t blame him. Receiving unexpected gifts can be tricky among loved ones. This situation would have made me uncomfortable too.
After two awkward conversations, I took the goodies to the food shelf. Little Miss Three helped happily when I told her others needed this stuff more. And I was right, essentially. While unwrapping the gift-wrapped boxes, I realized that I had just given an elderly bald man a bottle of shampoo and conditioner, among other things. It was on the list of recommended goodies, but good grief this was a miss.
4) The Case of Trick or Treat Jitters: The very thought of knocking on doors for candy had Miss Kindergarten pulling elaborate combinations out of our costume drawer. In contrast, the mere mention of coin collecting for UNICEF had her in a near catatonic state. I accepted her offer to cash in her piggy bank for the UNICEF cause and let her Trick or Treat in peace. Next year, maybe we’ll rally a bigger group of kids to make the UNICEF effort feel less out of the norm.
So no major snafus, just predictable snags in the process. I’ve learned to be more thorough, make space for my own procrastination, and allow for the fact that some things just don’t go as planned, no matter how great the idea is.
Tags: Parenting Challenges
