“But I don’t want to!”
I hear that complaint frequently from one of my children. It’s an age-appropriate response to a myriad of less-than-appealing tasks: cleaning up toys, getting ready for bed, trying certain foods, or ending playtime.
One of the best measures of maturity is willingly choosing to do things that we don't want to. Share on X
Most often, my response to my child’s complaint is a variation on the theme, “We all have to do things we don’t want to.”
After all, do I enjoy the many tasks I’m responsible for? Doing dishes four times a day? Changing poopy diapers? Administering discipline?
We choose to do unpleasant things because we know we must. We choose to do those things because we have foresight and know the consequences of our action or inaction. Sometimes because we’ve made a decision to love. Ultimately, we come to learn what’s good for us, and often that means self-denial. Continue reading