Good 'Ole Family Update: Family Matters
Wow, a good 'Ole fashion update from the Shaw's!
We've had so much happening this year, I'm starting to forget it all. I can't believe we have hit March already. What?!? Where is the time going? I mean seriously. It was just the other day the kids where celebrating Christmas! Time is flying people. PLEASE, stop and appreciate what's around you before it is gone. Good old time keeps moving. You can't by time back. Once you've used it, it is gone. Gone forever and ever, only to exist in memories. Make sure they are YOUR memories!
I'd like to start by talking about my daughter Sariah. She is living with us for now. She is doing great and is loving life, learning about life, and most of all LOVE. She got a job at a locate business and is doing great in school. Of coarse, I have much higher hopes for her. Duh! What am I thinking?!? This girl is healthy, happy, and well adjusted! I couldn't ask for a better 17 year old! We have great conversations. I challenger her daily to think. Think about every decision. Think about others. Think about how she can help others. She is adapting to that very well. She has always done this mind you. But now, she is understanding the decision behind the actions. She is doing great. School? She is getting good grade. She always did. She is in the AP courses. Sometimes she has to work hard, but most of the time she understands the material the first time. The best thing, she is a self starter. Once she is motivated, she will do what it takes. Take the cell we recently got her. She did the research, picked plans, and did a pro/con list. At first this was hard. She didn't see the value in it. A curse I passed on. :) The "how" to pay for it was difficult at first. As a father, I need to prepare the children for the world. And, the world isn't always just. So, while some items I task my children with seem hard to others, I see opportunities for my children to grow in an ever fast paced world. I believe everyone will fail at something. That is acceptable. It is the same repeated failures where nothing is learned that is disturbing. So, while I expect greatness from my children in their decision making, I accept the failures they will have. I rather them try hard under me and fail, then fail in the world. There is nothing more solid and secure than family. Take family away, and it will be a hard, cold world. So, I afford my children great leeway at my expense. Again, I expect failure now, under me, because they will learn and grow healthy from their mistakes and take this into society. Something I feel is lacking in the world, true family. I digress. Sariah is learning this fast. As for the cell phone, her decision to get a cell was for emergencies. However, her theory came unraveled as I told her she could have my old cell phone. It will make 911 calls without a plan. So began the research. Then the question came up of how to pay. This took an entire day for her to decide. At first she said it was a parents duty to buy the phone, of which I promptly noted that there is no emergency where she would not be near a land line. She doesn't drive alone. The school as phones. Work has phones. Not a good plan. :) So I asked what the phone was for. Bam! The truth drips out. She says that she'd like to call my friends, email, and web. Ok, now that she has some wants, I asked how is she going to pay for that. Again, it is her wants, not a need. At the end of the day, she comes up with a plan to pay $35 towards a phone. Now, we are talking! The point here was to get her in as a stakeholder, one who has some ownership in the game. Now, which plan? Again, she approached me with the big plan, spints $69 - all you can eat. Well, let's say $80 after tax. Sounds great I said. So for being lazy, we want to spend $1920 on a two year contact? Lazy she says. Why yes! You have all the free Internet and phone you can use right here at the house. So, basically, you want to be lazy and keep up with friends on the phone? Yes, dad. Well, that is cool I said. I would have thought you wanted to save that towards a car. Um, yes she says. Then let's think harder about a plan I say. After a few days of research, which seemed like years to her, she finally asked if we could share a line. What an idea!!! After checking into it, she agrees to pay for a line added to my wife's plan. They share 550 minutes, which my daughter said, "what?" I reminder her that is compare to her plan now, nothing. She was then back on track to share. I noted, this is a phone for emergencies, remember? :) With AT&T, she has unlimited text (teenager's primary communication to the world. Another post) and can call me and Kris for free. What a deal I thought. She agreed. She also picked up the $15 Internet use. So, her $35 toward the phone is working well. Now, what phone. Well, Kris did all that. She picked out an iPhone. It was $40. I admit, it is a great phone. Kris has used hers constantly. She is always getting information at her finger tips. My plan was to get her an android phone, letting her be the first to test it in the family. But, as some plans, not all materialize and I'm cool with that. So, first bill, no extra charges. Sariah did great. Albeit, the text usage was 2100 text messages, in/out. But hey, no texting after hours or going over the plan and we are all good. This was a bg life lesson for Sariah. Yes, I know a trivial phone. But it was more than that. It was the decision that lead to this deal; negotiating with us, researching plans, renegotiating, understand wants versus needs, and most of all we need to be honest with ourselves on our decisions. We had a great experience, all of us! Good job Sariah!!!
Pray, Love, Live
We've had so much happening this year, I'm starting to forget it all. I can't believe we have hit March already. What?!? Where is the time going? I mean seriously. It was just the other day the kids where celebrating Christmas! Time is flying people. PLEASE, stop and appreciate what's around you before it is gone. Good old time keeps moving. You can't by time back. Once you've used it, it is gone. Gone forever and ever, only to exist in memories. Make sure they are YOUR memories!
I'd like to start by talking about my daughter Sariah. She is living with us for now. She is doing great and is loving life, learning about life, and most of all LOVE. She got a job at a locate business and is doing great in school. Of coarse, I have much higher hopes for her. Duh! What am I thinking?!? This girl is healthy, happy, and well adjusted! I couldn't ask for a better 17 year old! We have great conversations. I challenger her daily to think. Think about every decision. Think about others. Think about how she can help others. She is adapting to that very well. She has always done this mind you. But now, she is understanding the decision behind the actions. She is doing great. School? She is getting good grade. She always did. She is in the AP courses. Sometimes she has to work hard, but most of the time she understands the material the first time. The best thing, she is a self starter. Once she is motivated, she will do what it takes. Take the cell we recently got her. She did the research, picked plans, and did a pro/con list. At first this was hard. She didn't see the value in it. A curse I passed on. :) The "how" to pay for it was difficult at first. As a father, I need to prepare the children for the world. And, the world isn't always just. So, while some items I task my children with seem hard to others, I see opportunities for my children to grow in an ever fast paced world. I believe everyone will fail at something. That is acceptable. It is the same repeated failures where nothing is learned that is disturbing. So, while I expect greatness from my children in their decision making, I accept the failures they will have. I rather them try hard under me and fail, then fail in the world. There is nothing more solid and secure than family. Take family away, and it will be a hard, cold world. So, I afford my children great leeway at my expense. Again, I expect failure now, under me, because they will learn and grow healthy from their mistakes and take this into society. Something I feel is lacking in the world, true family. I digress. Sariah is learning this fast. As for the cell phone, her decision to get a cell was for emergencies. However, her theory came unraveled as I told her she could have my old cell phone. It will make 911 calls without a plan. So began the research. Then the question came up of how to pay. This took an entire day for her to decide. At first she said it was a parents duty to buy the phone, of which I promptly noted that there is no emergency where she would not be near a land line. She doesn't drive alone. The school as phones. Work has phones. Not a good plan. :) So I asked what the phone was for. Bam! The truth drips out. She says that she'd like to call my friends, email, and web. Ok, now that she has some wants, I asked how is she going to pay for that. Again, it is her wants, not a need. At the end of the day, she comes up with a plan to pay $35 towards a phone. Now, we are talking! The point here was to get her in as a stakeholder, one who has some ownership in the game. Now, which plan? Again, she approached me with the big plan, spints $69 - all you can eat. Well, let's say $80 after tax. Sounds great I said. So for being lazy, we want to spend $1920 on a two year contact? Lazy she says. Why yes! You have all the free Internet and phone you can use right here at the house. So, basically, you want to be lazy and keep up with friends on the phone? Yes, dad. Well, that is cool I said. I would have thought you wanted to save that towards a car. Um, yes she says. Then let's think harder about a plan I say. After a few days of research, which seemed like years to her, she finally asked if we could share a line. What an idea!!! After checking into it, she agrees to pay for a line added to my wife's plan. They share 550 minutes, which my daughter said, "what?" I reminder her that is compare to her plan now, nothing. She was then back on track to share. I noted, this is a phone for emergencies, remember? :) With AT&T, she has unlimited text (teenager's primary communication to the world. Another post) and can call me and Kris for free. What a deal I thought. She agreed. She also picked up the $15 Internet use. So, her $35 toward the phone is working well. Now, what phone. Well, Kris did all that. She picked out an iPhone. It was $40. I admit, it is a great phone. Kris has used hers constantly. She is always getting information at her finger tips. My plan was to get her an android phone, letting her be the first to test it in the family. But, as some plans, not all materialize and I'm cool with that. So, first bill, no extra charges. Sariah did great. Albeit, the text usage was 2100 text messages, in/out. But hey, no texting after hours or going over the plan and we are all good. This was a bg life lesson for Sariah. Yes, I know a trivial phone. But it was more than that. It was the decision that lead to this deal; negotiating with us, researching plans, renegotiating, understand wants versus needs, and most of all we need to be honest with ourselves on our decisions. We had a great experience, all of us! Good job Sariah!!!
Pray, Love, Live
posted by The Shaw Family | 06:06
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