Jul
24
Written by:
host
7/24/2009 7:00 AM
It was a wonderful day when I realized that I did not have to answer every question my children asked me immediately. This was a major parenting discovery for me, as I figured out that immediacy on their end did not have to translate to immediacy in my decision making. Yes, my kids always want to know the answer to whether or not they can sleep over at their friend’s house tonight or whether they can purchase the latest computer game right now! But as a parent, I am allowed to take time to make decisions. It is okay to say, “I’ll think about it.” “I will check the calendar and get back to you.” or “Your father and I will discuss it and let you know.” It took awhile for my children to view “maybe” as an acceptable answer, but when the alternative was, “If I have to answer right now, the answer is no,” they learned to view maybe as a hopeful answer.
Lately, I have been thinking that I need to expand the ability to answer “maybe” to other areas of my life. I am a person that finds it difficult to say no when others ask me to do something for them, or to take on another responsibility. And truly, most of the time, I enjoy doing that which I have agreed to do. But there have been occasions when I have thought, “Why did I agree to do this?” or “My time could be better spent elsewhere.”
This is where maybe would be useful. Instead of saying yes (or no) right away, I can say maybe. “Maybe” is an “I’ll pray about it.” answer. I will take the time and discern an answer rather than feel pressured to say “yes” or saying “no” as a gut response. When I answer maybe, my eventual answer is more likely to be one that I am comfortable with.
The next time I am asked to take on additional responsibility, will I remember that I have the word “maybe” in my vocabulary? Maybe…
~Sally Hoelscher