Episode 37: We Do What’s Required

Are you doing these critical things to help your child succeed academically? Take the quiz now to find out the important actions you can take to enhance your child's education. Go to my website, liberationthrougheducation.com quiz and take the quiz today. Foreign welcome to another episode of K12 Education Untangled. My name is Dr. Kim Fields, former corporate manager turned educational researcher and advocate, and I'm the host of this podcast. I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with with school administrators and educators, as well as the micro discriminations that I faced as an African American mom raising my two kids who were in the public school system. I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system. If you're looking to find out more about current topics in education that could affect you or your children, then you're in the right place. On today's episode, I'll be discussing my thoughts on doing what's required. I was half listening to my husband bellyache, complain and whine about being, quote unquote, domesticated. In his monologue, which he rehearses about three times a week every week, he lamented about having to do the laundry, cook meals, make the beds, do some cleaning, as if those tasks were somehow beneath him to do. In other words, it seemed as if his perspective was that he shouldn't have to do these menial tasks, that he should be doing more important things. As my patience was growing thin, I simply stated, we do what's required. Simple, yet profound, and thankfully, it shut the prologue of Poor Poor Pitiful me down. This is what led to today's topic. In this episode, we do what's required. Whether that's for the smooth running of a household, a business, or a family unit, it's just the reality. If there is to be efficient productivity in daily operations, I'll discuss each of these areas one at a time. The smooth running of a household involves doing what's required. It's not about attitudes like whether I feel like it, procrastination or disorder because doing nothing is easier. It's about doing the work that's required in order for the household to function effectively and efficiently. Can you imagine the state of the household if everyone in that house decided that they didn't want to or didn't feel like doing the tasks that were required? It would be a disaster. The work could be divvied up between those who are old enough to handle the responsibility and can do the job well. And everyone needs to pitch in. There's no magical wand that's going to make everything go away or be put in order. You just have to put the work in. You typically eat every day, so groceries need to be purchased, meals need to be prepared and cooked. Dishes needed to be washed. And even if you use paper plates and cups and plastic utensils, the pots that you cook the food in still need to be washed. Of course, this too could be avoided if you are a microwave user. However, the microwave still needs to be cleaned. There's no getting around the need to wash dishes or clean up. The trash also needs to be emptied on a regular basis. Floors need to be swept and mopped and carpets or rugs need to be vacuumed. The clothes aren't going to wash themselves, so doing the laundry is a must what else makes for the Smooth Running of a Household Finances and Money Management Technology Kids and Daycare or Pre K or the K 12 public school system it's no secret that we need to do what's required to keep our home finances in order for the household to run smoothly. However, we often overlook a few other aspects that are part of keeping a house running. Well. Technology is one of those factors that we cannot ignore. We should make sure that we have easy access not just to basic entertainment, but also educational shows and resources for our children. In K12 school, someone also needs to take the lead on repairing and ensuring that technology functions at the highest levels. Having the technology for your children helps them to stay up to date with their classes while also adding much needed stress relief into the day to day life. Overall, taking care of all these factors is important for the smooth running of the household. And for many of you, the traditional notion of smooth running household is predicated on the we do what's required attitude. Other items that help maintain a smooth running home include enrolling kids in daycare or pre K, even keeping up with the K12 school schedule and coordinating those schedules so that each person knows who's dropping the kids off and who's picking them up. Maybe sometimes finding babysitting services now and then will ensure time for the partners to bond with each other, which is also important. With many households having two working parents, it's become commonplace for some people to hire external help like gardeners, housekeepers, etc. To create a balanced family environment where everyone can feel secure and relaxed while the chores are taken care of. All in all, when we understand our roles accordingly and take proactive steps to fulfill them efficiently, it can achieve a harmonious household that runs smoothly while we're on the subject of household chores, there really is no division of labor for the adults. Men can wash dishes, wash clothes, sweep floors, dust, vacuum, clean the bathrooms, and take out trash just like women can. Men can also cook, go grocery shopping, and take care of the kids just like women can. There are some areas where one adult may have special skills over another, and for those areas, that adult should take the lead. However, this doesn't mean that the other adult is off the hook. We do what's required. I remember one time when I was a child that my mother got sick with the flu and was unable to do her usual activities around the house like bathing the kids, feeding the kids, combing the girl's hair, which was an undertaking since there were three girls in my family helping with homework. And my father had to step up and take over those activities for about three days until my mother was well. Yes, we may not have eaten the same thing that my mother would have cooked, and our hair may not have been as cute as it would have been had my mother combed it. But our hair was combed, our clothes were clean, we ate, and we completed our homework. As a side we do what's required. Expecting the other partner to fulfill stereotypical roles that men have a tendency to hold on to sends a message to the other spouse that they're living with someone with a very chauvinistic perspective, which frankly, is outdated in this day and age. That perspective can lead to resentment, anger, and disregard by the other spouse. A difficult conversation will need to ensue. Well, let's face it, if we're talking about speaking to our male spouse or partner about this, it's going to take more than one difficult conversation. I remember one of my pet peeves that my ex husband used to say when I asked him to watch the kids when I went to go run personal errands for myself. When he said and referred to watching the kids as quote, unquote, babysitting. How are you going to babysit your own children? You're their father. You're not babysitting the neighbor's kids. They are your kids. Find something constructive to do with them that's actively engaging. It's not hard. You may not want to do it, but in the scheme of things, what does that mean? We all do what's required. Guys, I'll share a word of wisdom here. Happy wife, happy life. The second piece of wisdom that I offer is this. A woman takes what you give her, multiply it, and give it back to you. Regarding a house, a woman can turn a structure into a home by adding her special touch, special items, certain furnishings and pictures to make that structure feel warm and welcoming. On the other hand, if you give her grief, harsh words, disrespect, discouragement, and no attention, she will multiply what you give her and give it back to you. She's just doing what she's naturally built to do. Wise words to consider. Children aren't off the hook either. They can and should be assigned chores that are age appropriate. It helps them to understand what belonging to the family means and what the smooth running of the family unit as well as the household means. This teaches them responsibility and accountability. There should be no allowance associated with typical household chores. Now, if there are special tasks that you want your child to do that are above beyond the smooth running of the household, like cleaning the baseboards, polishing silver, cleaning out the garage, clearing out old newspapers and magazines, cleaning the windows and window sills inside and out, etc. Then you might consider paying an allowance for those chores. Otherwise, completing the household chores that are age appropriate for each child should be a requirement in which Everyone pitches in In Business how would a business run effectively and make money if everyone in the business did things when they felt like it? The simple answer is it wouldn't. If a business isn't making money, it wouldn't be a business for very long. Everyone in the business or the company has a specific role to play in order for smooth operations of the business to occur on a daily basis. Whether you love your job or dislike what you're doing at the current moment, there are aspects to that job, even if you love it, that you don't like doing. It doesn't matter. The work still needs to be done because we do what's required. After all, we do what's required in business, like setting high standards for employees to follow, adhering to budgets and timelines, and going the extra mile to produce exceptional results. Those activities generally require motivation and foresight, which only adheres to a formal structure that can inspire we demand accountability from our workforce because we are responsible for running a successful enterprise. We make money by doing work productively and economically. Therefore, if everyone did things when they felt like it, we would be unable to achieve Commitment in organization not necessary for any business endeavor. It appears that while we may need flexibility within the system to meet unpredictable demands, without rigor and procedure, businesses will not have the means of long term success or commercial gain. The reality is we do what's required in business to both remain successful and to make money. If we were to imagine a hypothetical situation in which we we all simply followed our own individual whims, we would quickly find that we can't adequately fulfill the necessary requirements of a successful business model for it to become profitable. There must be commitment, coordination and collaboration between staff members, as well as a disciplined approach to each aspect of running the business, including marketing, sales, and customer support. There can't be any wavering when it comes to achieving the desired task at hand. It's necessary to work together with an aligned focus in order to reap the rewards of profitability. Doing what's required is not an option, it's a necessity for the smooth running and efficient running of a household, for the hierarchical cohesiveness of the family unit, and for the profitability of running a business. As is the usual case for these personal story related episodes in which I close with either a quote or a clean joke, I provide the following quotes for you to ponder if we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change Wayne Dyer Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. Benjamin Franklin if this is the type of subject matter and discussion that resonates with you, please subscribe to my podcast on whatever subscribe service you listening to this. Also, I'd love to hear from you. So please leave me a comment, a rating or a review and share this episode with anyone that you think would find it valuable. Be sure to tell your friends, family and community about my podcast. Thanks for listening today. I hope you'll come back for more K12 educational discussions with even more exciting topics to untangle. By the way, if you have an urgent question about a current situation or issue with you or your child's school, or a specific topic that you'd like for me to cover and explore, shoot me a quick email@kimiberationthrougheducation.com to let me know what your question is. Anyone whose question is selected to be discussed on one podcast episode will receive a $25Amazon gift card. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the handle kimjfields. Be sure to stay tuned. On the next episode of my podcast, I'll be discussing technology in the classroom. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Until next time, aim to learn something new every day. Love my show. Consider being a regular subscriber. You can subscribe for as little as $3 per month. 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