I called my mom today to get ask her to pray for a girl I know who has been having all kinds of problems for the past year. Anyway, as I talked to my mom, I heard, as I usually hear when my younger sister is home from college, about how Rachel isn't helping my mom out. Of course, this means that I then have to talk to Rachel about needing to help Mom. Rachel usually has some kind of excuse and today was no different. Except that she tried to turn it around on me and tried to tell me that I needed to stay out of it. I hung up on her. After a few minutes of thinking, considering what to say and how to say it, I called Rachel back. I got her voicemail and left a message. Not too long after I called again and actually got her. So, getting to the point...since I've been having problems with my supervisor at work, I've learned quite a bit about handling different issues. The issue that crosses from work into personal life right now is this...Rachel and I are typical of our family...therefore we both have slight problems with communication or miscommunication, as it were. See, we tend to act on what we know needs to be done, but fail to ask what the person in charge would like us to do. In Rachel's case, that would be Mom, in my case, my boss. I have been learning that the best way to deal with this in the workplace is to keep my boss in the loop. It's not so much that she needs to tell me what to do as much as she just needs to know that I am letting her know that I'm working on something. I shared this with Rachel this evening. Told her that if she goes to mom with something already in mind, then she just needs to tell Mom this and give Mom the option of what Mom wants Rachel to do. Basically, cover yourself by putting the ball into your boss's hands. Yes, it is, in essence, a cop-out, but if it keeps Rachel from getting in trouble and out of a lecture from Alicia or I again, then it has worked. We'll just have to wait and see whether or not Rachel will act on my advice.
What do you think? Is it too much of a cop-out or do you think it might work?
2 comments:
Good grief - she's only been home two days!!
I'm not really sure how I avoided this except that I felt guilty if I was sitting when Mom was working. That pretty much insured that I helped a lot.
I think what you're doing in the workplace is great, but I think Mom wants what Mom wants when Mom wants it (like most moms probably), and being informed of what Rachel is doing that she thinks is helpful may not do the trick there - but hey, it's worth a try, right?
Personally, I think she ought to figure out fast that it's easier to just get a job... :^)
Yeah, but getting a job conflicts with the ten tons of schoolwork that has to get done over this break - just ask me I'll tell ya. =) Hannah's advice was good. Selfishness says get your own work done first then help someone else, but oftentimes in that case your work will take all the time it needs instead of putting Mom's priorities first.
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