YOUR AD HERE »

Thoughtful Parenting: Little boy on Steamboat time

Tina Harlow/For Steamboat Today
Thoughtful parenting youth
ThoughtfulParenting_Youth

If you go

What: "Bright Minds, Busy Bodies: A Different Lens for Viewing High Energy Children,” a workshop by Tina Harlow about parenting high-energy children

When: noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29

Where: Historic Routt County Courthouse BCC Room.

More information: This event is sponsored by First Impressions and Routt County Youth Services Coalition. Free lunch will be provided. Space is limited. RSVP to First Impressions at 970-870-5270 or smartin@co.routt....

Once upon a time in the mountains high

lived a little boy who always asked, “why?”

If you go

What: “Bright Minds, Busy Bodies: A Different Lens for Viewing High Energy Children,” a workshop by Tina Harlow about parenting high-energy children



When: noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29

Where: Historic Routt County Courthouse BCC Room.



More information: This event is sponsored by First Impressions and Routt County Youth Services Coalition. Free lunch will be provided. Space is limited. RSVP to First Impressions at 970-870-5270 or smartin@co.routt….

His thoughts always churned

His body moved fast

It seemed that others

walked so slowly past

When it came to school

he often ran late

the plethora of tardies

made him feel second rate

Some were annoyed

Was he ADHD?

But there was so much more

that others didn’t see

Each and every morning

as he started to dress

He noticed hidden jewels

amidst the mess

He engineered twine

and pulleys and such

Hyperfocusing intently

only noticing touch

His mother was busy

getting ready as well

Lost in her thoughts

while applying hair gel

When the time came

for them all to go

He was still in his pj’s

His masterpiece in tow

His mother yelled,

“What is wrong with you?

You know exactly

what you need to do!”

They were late again

He felt so bad

He hated to make

his dear mother mad

That night, they had plans

“Be there sharply at 6”

A surprise birthday party

A cake to fix.

Of course they were late

It felt like a crime

When they entered, Mom shouted,

“We’re on Steamboat time!”

They all laughed and hugged

For it hadn’t begun

The guest of honor

had gone for a run

Some guests had been timely

but many were not

There were no tardy slips

No consequences wrought

“On Steamboat Time.”

So laid-back, so great

What it really means

is “we are late”

Who are these people?

He looked around

Creators…visionaries

ideas that abound

They’re not irresponsible

their brains are sublime

They’ve just had to learn

how to dance with time

He knew he wasn’t bad

and he wasn’t alone

Time management was simply

his struggle to own

This executive skill

can bring such pains

When creativity and innovation

drip from your veins

He thought and thought

as his eyebrow furled

“I just need strategies

to adapt to this world!”

His Mom took him shopping

Small timers they bought

for each of the spaces

where time got caught

They set them for dressing

and when in the shower

Soon over time

they began to have power.

His Mom stopped yelling

She knew she was the same

So she utilized tools

instead of just blame

They asked for patience

and a little grace

As they learned how to roll

on society’s pace.

Tina Harlow, MSW, LCSW is the founder of Guiding Bright and the parent of two children. She provides individual and family counseling to children, working alongside children and families to help them gain a better understanding of themselves and each other while emphasizing the strengths in their neurological differences. Visit her website at guidingbright.com.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.