Team Family!
I have to hand it to my wife. She introduced a fine concept to our boys some time ago. It’s called, Team Family, and she uses it when the boys help out with something, either each other, or us. Team Family! they shout with pride.
It’s a cute phrase, and it harkens to the notion of the family as a unit. That we’re all in it together. I admit I’m not so good with the pull-through of this concept. Now and then I’ll shout something out like, “The first one that puts their shoes on gets a special prize.” Or I’ll challenge them by starting a race or comparing one’s accomplishment to the other’s lack thereof.
While a little competition helps, it can also hurt, especially for small children, who haven’t strengthened their empathy muscles yet. They don’t know the wonders of teamwork and collaboration. Where I work, teamwork and collaboration is one of our core values. Our internal culture is built on these principles. At times, it can get a little crowded when everyone needs to go along on the journey, yet when you step back, an amazing thing happens: each person shares in the victory.
The same is true for kids. I witness this when we work on puzzles, simple math, and games. Where one son wants to take all the pieces, or the other wants to work on his own to show the other one up, I remind that we help each other, that what we do is for our shared success. I remind them about Team Family.
While man may be wired for autonomy over community, there is no separating man from the unit. We are not wolves after all. We are humans, and we need our fellow humans. Knowing how and why helping others at a young age is a meaningful and vital trait that can be cultivated in every moment. We’re only as strong as the strength of our tribe.
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Photo by TREGG MATHIS on Unsplash