The Best Laid Plans
by Doug Hewitt

Best laid plans fall apart. In my younger days, when I had time for such things, I'd write out plans out the yazoo. Which movies to rent. What time to have breakfast (which has crept later and later as my children grew). Where to go, when to drop them back off at their mother's house. Sometimes the plans worked to perfection, but most often, not. The reasons for the foul-ups are varied, from illness to car trouble, and sometimes the kids themselves decided for themselves that my plans weren't, well, up to snuff.

So, it's Saturday morning. The kids are sitting around the TV, watching cartoons, as you get out of bed and try to make coffee so you can wake up after trying to catch up on your sleep from working your butt off all week.

Your coffee in hand, a glass of orange juice at the ready, you situate yourself at the kitchen table or perhaps a lounge chair set far enough back from the TV so that you're not distracted by the heroism of some turtle's ninja techniques and you begin the process of waking up, ramping up your energy level, and becoming human enough to speak full sentences (okay, I'm not a morning person, and if you're the same, it's good that your kids know, even though you promise to try to not let it be an issue).

Your plans have already been sidelined, kyboshed by some reason or another, rain, sleet, snow. Hey, you're not delivering mail, for cryin' out loud!

"Well, kids, whatcha want to do?" you finally manage to ask.

Then, almost inevitably, come the shrugs.

See, they've had rough weeks, too. Badgered by bullies, challenged by overeager teachers (or worse, inadequate ones), pressured by their peers, they find sitting and watching TV at Dad's can be quite nice, a welcome change. Here's the challenge, then. You want to shrug, too, and maybe catch up on some of your other things that you've been wanting to do. Maybe even go back to sleep. But this is when your kids can be their greatest help, and you can show your trust in them, which isn't a bad thing, parent-wise. You say, "Well, we're leaving in 45 minutes, so you all had better get washed and ready to go, and it'd be a good idea if you could let me know which of the following you want to do."

Then you list 3 things. It doesn't really matter what. "Or, come up with an idea of your own. But the vote has to be unanimous, or else I'm going to decide, and I might just decide to go organize homeless people for an impromptu choir at the go