My husband was purchasing a birthday gift for our son’s friend and asked for a gift receipt.  He asked three times, but the cashier neglected to provide one.  He directed my husband to customer service because he could not provide one since the transaction was already completed.  We learned not to give our payment until we had what we needed.  We also understood that people may mean well but fall short because of these reasons:

• Lack of Skill.  Maybe he did not know how to run a gift receipt.
• Lack of Focus.  Maybe his mind was not on this transaction but was on his next break, the long line of customers, a problem going on at home, or something else.
• Different Priorities.  Maybe it was more important to him to keep the line moving as quickly as possible than to handle one specific customer’s request.

We could have reacted negatively to this situation, but we have had enough training with our kids to suspend our judgment.  Just like this adult cashier, kids want to do well, and sometimes they fall short.  It falls upon us, all of us adults whether we are parents or not, to make sure the next generation has the training to develop their skills, focus on tasks, and stay connected with what is important in order to be successful in what they do.

Marlaine Cover of Parenting 2.0 has developed the Life Skills Report Card, a great way to assess and cultivate essential skills.  Print some for your family and rate yourself.  When you take an honest look at yourself, you can use your mistakes to teach you where you need to grow.  Our cashier has room for improvement.  So do our kids.  So do I – a lifetime’s worth.