Hell yeah! Here's to making this day the best it can be.

I find the root cause of many of my repairs is either assumption or expectation. I assume one thing, and I'm wrong. Or I expect something, and it isn't met. Not that there isn't a place for expectation ... But it isn't fair to have them if they aren't clearly communicated, and that's where I drop the ball sometimes. I remember when my oldest was about three, we were pretty structured about making sure he got a rest time every day at the same time. He didn't have to nap, but it was time for him to be by himself for a little while to help foster a bit of independence and self-entertainment. It ended up being really great for him, and I think fed into his love of reading. But at three, he didn't always WANT to do rest time. And one time, I tried to enforce it at the standard time and he just had a meltdown. Crying, yelling, unable to speak clearly. I was tired and frustrated myself, and I didn't want to set the example of giving in to a tantrum, so I still tried to enforce it. He went to his room, furious. I found out later that my partner had made an exception that day, and communicated it to him. My three-year-old knew he didn't need to have a rest time that day, and so when I tried to enforce it, he melted. It was too big a feeling for him to be able to communicate clearly through, and so we were just at an empass and a battle of wills. Partway through rest time, I got the full story from my partner. I felt awful, and immediately went to apologize to my son. We had a great conversation about assumptions and communication, and I think it really help lay the foundation for the relationship we have today. For my part, I try to communicate expectations clear and eliminate assumptions by asking questions. For his part, he does his best to communicate, even when the feelings are big. It works out pretty well, most of the time!

@Jon Sheridan This is precious, and 100% on point. One thing we've been doing with our two-year-old, who is a ray of sunshine 99% of the time but can have massive meltdowns out of nowhere, is to ask simple questions mid-tantrum like, "Hey, where are my eyes?" and then, once he's pointed, "What color are they?" And he'll answer, and that creates enough of an interrupt in the pattern that we can communicate more effectively.

@Nathan Facine Hah, I love this! And definitely relate. There's a difference between being grumpy and being unkind. Kudos to your teenager for the continued life lessons!

Confession: I didn't have breakfast, so I skipped one walk. But I did do it after lunch, and I'm planning on doing it after dinner! Gonna see if I can get the kiddos to go with me and get some fresh air.

@Jon Sheridan That is a brilliant idea! Definitely stealing that one.

My man! First off, thanks so much for the shoutout. Secondly, what a great video (and such an important topic). I love the way you lead with vulnerability, seriously makes this so easy to relate to. "Do I want my kids modeling this behavior?" is such a powerful question, and something we should all be asking ourselves every day. No surprise, my struggle for the longest time was video games. To say they consumed my life would be an understatement. My life, my focus, my finances. They gave me a sense of purpose and accomplishment that I was lacking in my "real life," to the point that I spent as much time as possible in these virtual worlds because ... Hey, I got to be a hero there. Who doesn't want that? Anyway: Great stuff as always, Jon. Thank you for sharing your journey! Your kids are lucky to have you, and those joint gaming sessions sound like such great memories they'll cherish!