Priorities

I have been away on business these past few days, which means I am away from my family and I miss them terribly.

This morning I received an email from Emma’s school saying she spit on the bus again, despite the fact she knows she will not have any cupcakes when she comes home and now will have limited access to her blanket, if this continues. I am not in New York to help deal with the situation, and even if I were, I doubt my presence would have much impact on her behavior. Knowing Richard is doing all he can to cope with this as well as working, packing for his and the children’s fast approaching departure to join me out here, going to Emma’s parent/teacher conference, Nic’s school concert where he is playing the clarinet, and all the other things he needs to do and get done before leaving this Thursday, I am feeling terrible that I’m out here worrying about the positioning of our store mirrors and whether our sign will be hung by tomorrow, when we hope to open our doors to the public.

Priorities. We all have to prioritize. We juggle as best we can. But it is our families, our friends, the people in our lives who are most important. All of this is trite, I know, but when I am told of Emma’s behavior, I remind myself of these things, because it can feel so terrible. Richard and I will figure out a way to ensure she stop spitting, it may take some time, but we will be able to rid her of this behavior eventually, just as we have worked with her on countless other inappropriate behaviors. Perspective and priorities..