I’ve talked before about my approach to self-discipline.

If there’s ever a day where I think, hey, I don’t want to work out today, I of course force myself to work out.

If I think, hey, maybe I’ll do a shorter workout today, I always do a full length workout because my fear is if I let myself give into those moments of weakness of not wanting to do the thing that I’ll know I can always convince myself not to do the thing and then I’ll eventually stop doing the thing.

So today I don’t want to be treading as much as I’m treading, but I want to get to at least 12,000 steps.

There’s no particular reason I’ve picked that number.

I know that I want to keep my weekly average above 10,000 and I’m already above 10,000 as I speak these words, but I, you know, there’s days where I’m hitting 20,000 and I feel like if I’m not treading, then, uh, I’m not getting the benefit of treading.

And since I know I’m doing the treadmill desk thing and then I don’t, it’s a whole thing.

So I’m walking right now, even though I’m kind of ready to stop.

I think this will be my last walking time of the day is recording this podcast, but uh, yeah.

Anyway, I had a parenting win over the weekend and I’d like to share it with you.

It’s funny as I recorded the intro and said, uh, the topic of this parenting win, I thought of another story that I posted all about on social media.

So I felt like I already covered it here, but I didn’t, but it was also a different kind of parenting win on social media.

I share the story of Sierra and her second batch of three hours of driving instruction and how the driver she had teaching her was, uh, a racist prick.

He was immediately asked her who her parents voted for, extolled the virtues of Trump.

Uh, and that was the best part of the drive.

It only got worse from there.

Uh, but yeah, he was like, when somebody cut her off, he’s like, oh, of course it’s a woman.

I’m sure she’s an immigrant and she doesn’t even speak English.

So maybe she doesn’t know what red lights mean or whatever.

I don’t know.

Um, he also told us that he hates wearing seatbelts and only wear someone who’s doing driving instruction.

Otherwise he doesn’t wear them at all.

Uh, a terrible guy.

And so the parenting win number one was I told Sierra first, I thought she was okay to have approached it the way she did, which was to keep trying to change the subject.

I said, I get that.

She was a student and she’s learning to drive a car and she’s with this strange man for three hours.

But the Chelsea could simply have said, Hey, I don’t want to talk about politics or let’s not talk about politics.

Um, and of course that she always is within her right to say, you know what?

I don’t want to do this.

Um, I get that that’s pretty hard for a 16 year old with a strange dude, but the parenting win was one.

We had that conversation and two, I called the place and said, this is unacceptable.

And they agreed.

I mean, they could have been giving me lip service, but the woman seemed very unhappy who I spoke to on the phone and promised that, uh, the guy would be disciplined and she is the co-owner.

So we’ll see.

Uh, anyway, the parenting win was this, we don’t have assigned chores per kid in this family.

Uh, everybody’s expected to chip in in various ways and do various things that works for us.

Uh, but there are certain tasks that no one wants to do.

Uh, and by no one, I mean my kids.

Uh, so on Saturday evening, uh, when I was getting ready for bed, I texted my kids.

I speak to my kids too, but some of them were already asleep and I was getting ready for bed.

And so I texted him and said, Hey kids, there are three morning tasks.

Each kid must do one.

Uh, and you could pick which one you wanted to do by doing it first in the morning.

One was dealing with Cody, which means letting him out, feeding him and letting him out again.

Number two was put away all the stuff that was on our drying mat because sometimes stuff comes out of the dishwasher wet and also go down to the end of the driveway and get the garbage can and bring it up.

That’s only a sucky task because it’s cold.

Uh, and then number three, unload the dishwasher.

And I was so pleased with this parenting win, which was the kids hated all three of those options.

It was like, they all suck.

And when Liam said they all suck, I was so proud.

I knew I had done it right.

I knew I had carefully and thoughtfully balanced three crappy tasks in ways that meant made them be equally undesirable to folks.

So I was genuinely, I think it sounds like I’m making a joke and I’m not, I was genuinely pleased that I was able to find three things that were all comparably crappy from my kids perspective.

And all three got done in the morning.

I kind of really liked that strategy.

I’m probably going to go back to it again.

I have sometimes done a simpler version, which is when the kids won’t come down for dinner fast enough or whatever, I’ll simply text whoever’s last out to dinner has to feed Cody or whoever’s last out to dinner has to set the table.

That one can be risky.

Cause if people come down too slow, then the table’s not set and I want to eat.

But this was a fun alternate version of that where there were three things, three kids got it all done.

I have also suggested to Ani that since Ani’s going to college next year, maybe Ani has to do more than the other two combined on in terms of tasks at home, because we’re running out of time.

Ani does not agree with this philosophy.

Anyway, I hope you’re having as okay a Monday as you can.

There will be no price increases or tariffs on this podcast.

Goodbye.

Lex.