Rookie Mistake

This year my daughter started her junior year in high school.  What a whirlwind this time of year can be for those with school age kids.  It reminds me of the first day of her freshman year.  We were both new to the whole high school thing, new routines, new rules, new everything.  I remember driving up to the school and taking one look at the line where everyone seemed to be dropping off their kids and thought, no way.  I figured there must be a better way then the enormous line before me and so, what I thought was a brilliant idea, I took different route, only to discover I couldn’t get in that way.  Not wanting to give up and being determined to find a better way I thought I would just drop her off in the parking lot adjacent to the entrance.  Maybe some of you can relate to this story literally, or maybe you can relate because you’ve been in a situation that you thought you could find a better way, a better option then what was being presented.

As I drove up and was thinking I had found an alternative; I had several people frantically waving at me.  I was completely confused and then worried, but did manage to drop her off.  As I drove off I realized that I had just driven into the drop off lot for busses ONLY.  I’m guessing this caused quite a commotion for the bus drivers, hence the waving and yelling at me.

I love finding new and resourceful avenues, a better way or alternative.  I dislike when I make a mistake in the process.  This was a big mistake.  Thanks goodness I was in a get away car and completely oblivious in the moment, but the feeling the mistake left on me lingered.  The reality is that we all make mistakes.  Some of our mistakes have bigger consequences then others, sometimes we are the only ones who know we’ve messed up, either way it’s usually not a feel good moment.

Sometimes we internalize our mistakes and make them a part of ourselves, this can have negative effects on who we think we are, a healthier mindset is being able to learn from our mistakes and make the learning a part of who we are becoming.  We are all always becoming.  Mistake and failures help us grow and learn.  They actually are needed in everyone’s life.  No one tells us this, we are told be successful and then you are a winner.  We hear mostly of people’s successes, leaving feelings of failure.   The key is to embrace your failures, embrace the mistakes in life, accept them as opportunities to grow, and know that everyone, even if they do not admit it, makes mistakes.  Mistakes are not who we are, mistakes are opportunities to become something bigger.

The second week of school I had to go into the office to drop something off and so I owned up my mistake to the ladies at the front desk.  They were so gracious and chalked it up to a rookie mistake that anyone could make.  So what did I learn?  I learned that rookies make mistakes.  I learned where the drop off is and that you have to wait in line, but it does go quick.  I learned sometime there are reasons for rules and there are no shortcuts.  I also learned to be tolerant of those who are making mistakes when dropping off their kids at school because maybe, just maybe they are the rookie that day.

By: Cindy O'Donnell, LCSW