Hope is Not a Plan

by Amy Platon

How does it go? Never underestimate the power of a back-up plan?

Well I would totally buy that. Especially with the little things. For instance this weekend, hubby and I re-touched our walls around the house. But of course, once you get started in a “little” project like that, before you know it you’ve painted everything in the house.

I gathered the children. “Family, the entire house is wet. Don’t touch the railing on the stairs, any wall, any closet or room door. In fact don’t touch anything white anywhere.” As my kids blinked at my directions, I could see their little minds taking themselves through the house on what would become a complete obstacle course. “You’re right. Let me try that again. Try not to touch anything white in the house, you will get paint on you.”

Anyway, once I said that, ineviatabley someone NEEDED to go potty. Someone else HAD to go downstairs to eat. And though both of those things went well, we all know wet paint never goes untouched.

Enter: the back-up plan. “When you do touch the paint that I’ve just told you not to touch, do not wipe it on your shirt. Hold your hand up, come find me and we will wash it off.” It ended up we only had a minor incident. The paint dried fast and we were back climbing the doorframes and using the walls as brakes in no time.

Having a plan for the failed first plan was just what the kids needed to limit residual damage. Because hope, as they say, is not a plan.