Team Work

Team work is one of the most important aspects in my life, and I would argue, everybody's lives. You can only do so much by yourself, and the greatest victories in life come when people work together. This is true in my personal and professional life. Since this blog is mainly about my life outside of work, we are going to talk about my personal team in this post.

My personal team consists of four people with a fifth member getting ready to take an active role within the next several months. I am talking about my wife and children. It is probably pretty obvious how important my wife is to our team. Shannon is a Stay-at-Home Mom. Yes, Virginia, that is a real job. She is with the children all day, every day. Shannon cooks for them, dresses them, changes diapers, wipes noses, and kisses boo-boos. Without her support at home, I could not function the way I do at work. Raising our children is the number one priority for both of us. Part of raising them is making sure that they have a role on our team.

Molly, the oldest at six years old, is an integral part of the team. When Shannon or I are in the middle of something and Jillian has to go to bathroom, Molly can help her sister. At dinner, she is able to set the table. There have even been times when she has made me a sandwich for lunch. (Do NOT tell my wife, but Molly made me the best sandwich I ever had.) Molly will even help me sweep the sidewalk after I cut the grass. Nine times out of ten, she is more than willing to help. Her little eyes light-up when I ask her for her help.

The middle child, Jillian, is only three and is somewhat limited in what she can help with. But, make no mistake, when she wants to help, she is an awesome helper. Jillian is great for throwing away dirty diapers for us while we are wrestling, I mean dressing Coilin. She is also able to help set the table. (NO KNIVES!) When reminded, she even puts her clothes in the dirty clothes basket. After dinner, she can clear her plate and the other children's plates as well.

With five people in this house, we have to have team work. There is no way one of us could do it all by ourself and remain sane and civil. Beyond that, making the children an integral part of the team makes them stronger and will make them more self-sufficient down the line. It helps to build their self-confidence, and that, you know, I am all about. Three of my last four blog posts have talked about it.

Maybe sometime I will talk about my team at work, a team we proudly call “Team Tech Pubs.” But, not yet. We are still gelling into the cohesive unit that I know we will become, and I want to wait to share that experience with you. So, for now, I leave you with brief overview of my personal team. I will definitely revisit this topic down the line; I have a great deal more to talk about how important they are to me, and I believe, I am to them.