The First Ten Minutes

Jake Frost is reminded to plan his life around his people, not his people around his life.

Advice for parents on setting priorities

Pro tip for parents, that I finally figured out only through hard experience: Give your kids your first ten minutes, not your last. 

Our little one-year-old, sweet Corie Lyn, wakes up with a smile each morning and reaches out her little arms for a hug and a snuggle.  

Then she likes her ham and cereal. 

Then she wants her animal book, and the most important part of the book is making all the animal sounds. 

It’s a delightful way to start the morning ... if you can muster the patience to slow down and enjoy it. 

Because I usually wake up eager for a cup of coffee, a quick check of email and news, and then getting started on the day’s to-do list. 

But I finally learned: if you try to put the little one off ... I’ll read to you in a few minutes, let me just check my email first ... neither of you will be very happy. 

She’ll keep toddling over with her book, you’ll keep getting frustrated because you could get through your email if you just had ten uninterrupted minutes.  

So baby doesn’t get her snuggle or animal sounds, and you don’t get your ten minutes. 

It works a lot better to give baby those first ten minutes.  

Read to her first. Once she gets her time, she’ll be happy and go off to her other activities, and then you can read your email. 

Keep your people on your priority list  

I ran across a quote from C. S. Lewis that I think makes the same point in a different context. Lewis wrote:  

If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, “sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.” (Letter to Arthur Greeves) 

The point, I think, is to keep the people in your life on your priority list.  

Plan your life around your people, not your people around your life.  

And be grateful that you have little people who love you so much that you are their first priority each morning! 

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Copyright 2024 Jake Frost
Images: Canva