Jumping The Track

Out there...way beyond Earth 2805...there is a tiny little droid named M-O.

A consummate rule follower who values order and cleanliness, M-O is a good citizen of the Axiom, the Buy 'N Large Starliner spaceship where evacuated humanity now lives. He does his job and does it well. But then WALL-E shows up and his usual routine is thrown all out of whack.

In his fervor to maintain cleanliness, M-O breaks a rule. He jumps the track he usually must stay on in order to do what he feels is even more important: clean the ship. 

We all face these kinds of M-O Moments in life: times when the right thing isn't following the letter of a law. As hard as it is to navigate as a parent, it's even harder for our kids to learn to tease this out, particularly if rules are perceived as edicts that are an expression of our parental will to control rather than boundaries put in place to keep them safe.

And, if we lean into the former rather than the later as our way of explaining rules, it can cut our children off from the knowing we desperately need them to have as they mature and gain more independence.

One little question can help us navigate this tricky terrain, and today we're going to explore that together. 

Let's roll...

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This Week's Big Think

When have you “jumped your track” and broken a rule for a good reason?

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