Why I Still Tie My 9 Year Old’s Skates

I am blessed to have two children.

My oldest is now in high school and our daily interactions have declined compared to when he was in 4th grade like his little bro.

Don’t get me wrong, my oldest and I still have a thriving relationship of communication as evidenced by his last four texts to me:

"Decent"

"No"

"Yeah"

"I’m at CVS"

My saving grace with my high schooler is he can’t drive himself to his hockey referee job, so I get the nod every weekend...? Winning!

I also recognized an opportunity to get more time with him by signing up to ref myself… ??

Reffing with him is such an uplifting experience.?

I’m right there as he learns how to earn a paycheck, manage his money, and interact with adults.

My Dad journey with my oldest opened my eyes to the dwindling opportunities I have with my 9 year old…

My little guy and his buddies still depend heavily on us parents for many things.

At the rink, it is mainly taping sticks and tying skates.

But I know my days are numbered…

Last year, parents were no longer allowed in the locker room and the kids had to carry their gear…

This year, half his teammates are self-sufficient…

It’s only a matter of time until I am no longer needed and become part of the “drop off and pick up” pool of parents.

Frankly, I am not looking forward to it…

In the 1980s when I was a little hockey player, my parents drove us all over the place in the Buick station wagon.?They had full control over the cassette tape deck and a deep love for two types of music:?Motown and anything Harry Chapin.

If you are not familiar with Harry Chapin, he penned one of the greatest folk songs of all time: Cats in the Cradle

Perhaps the song’s message about a busy Dad who always pushed off life’s little moments with his son until it was too late is still wedged in my brain.?

Add a life priority realignment after my cancer diagnosis almost 13 years ago and you now have a sense for how in tune I am to every second I can help my boys in life.

This lesson of recognizing an opportunity to have an immediate impact on someone’s life is something I carry with me as I help people find fulfillment in their work lives.

Let’s face it, the saying “the days go slow and the years go fast” applies just as much to work as it does to life.

I know there are going to be other chances and capacities to be there for my boys in the future, but until then, you can find me outside the locker room awaiting those 5 magic words:

“Will you tie my skates?”

.

.

.

Roger Lumpp loves helping people find more fulfilling work, faster. He firmly believes WORKERS will gain more and more control over the conversation as we move into the “future of work” and shares his thoughts and observations of the rapidly evolving landscape through The Next Gig newsletter, speaking engagements, podcasts and anywhere else he's needed. Roger is a Top Staffing Leader to Watch in 2023 nominee at The World Staffing Awards presented by?Candidate.ly.

Opinions expressed are my own, all rights reserved.