Raising Resilience Daily

Some weeks feel like a masterclass in flexibility, and not the yoga kind. The kind where you wake up with a plan, a vibe, a whole mental picture of how the day is going to go… and then life laughs in your face.

This week, it came in two forms. Both cold. Both disruptive. Both very, very Minnesota.

Hockey Day Minnesota… but Make It Face-Assault Cold

If you’re a hockey family, you know Hockey Day Minnesota is basically a holiday. Our high school team playing on the rink? That’s bucket-list stuff. We’ve been planning on going, talking about it, hyping it up.

But then Mother Nature said, “Cute plan. Here’s a wind chill that feels like a personal attack.”

And listen; 8-year-olds barely make it through a full indoor game without snacks, entertainment, and a halftime pep talk. Outdoors? In face-assault cold? That’s a hard no. So we adapt. We pivot. We remind ourselves that we can’t control the weather, but we can control how we respond to it.

Face-Assault Cold, Part II: Surprise, School Is Canceled

Nothing says “good morning” like the 5 a.m. school cancellation text (okay okay, it was the day before this time). Suddenly the whole day shifts. If you’re a parent who turns on the Tv; and lets the kids ride out the day in pajamas good for you. If you’re a parent who declares a no-screen, clean-the-house, let’s-reset-the-week vibe; good for you.

Because the truth is, it’s not just the kids who have to adapt. We do too. Our workdays, our meetings, our expectations, our sanity… all of it gets tossed into the blender.

There is no gold star for how you handle a surprise home day. There is only survival.

My personal hack? A checklist.

My kids LOVE checking things off a list. It gives them structure, purpose, and that little dopamine hit of accomplishment. And honestly, it gives me a fighting chance of getting through my workday without someone yelling “MOM!” every four minutes.

Let’s be real, they still do that….

The Bigger Lesson: Adaptability Isn’t Just a Skill, It’s a Superpower

As much as these moments derail us, they’re also the exact moments that teach our kids something priceless:
Life changes. Plans shift. Weather happens. Schedules fall apart. And we can still make the most of it.

We’re not just raising kids who can handle a snow day or a canceled event. We’re raising future adults who can handle a last-minute meeting change, a project pivot, a curveball at work, or a day that doesn’t go as planned.

Because being able to adapt to last-minute changes doesn’t just make childhood smoother, it makes adulthood survivable. It builds resilience, confidence, and the ability to stay steady when the world gets unpredictable.

And if all of that starts with a canceled school day, a missed hockey game, and a checklist taped to the fridge… I’ll take it.

Raising leaders, chasing goals, and occasionally losing my mind.