ShmoopTube

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Leadership at home... a la Shmoop.

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No, we’re not talking about giving rousing speeches about your school

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day around the dinner table…

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And we don’t mean running a campaign to try and drive the family car to school every morning…

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Leadership at home is something a little different.

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Let's start with what leadership at home isn't.

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It's not being the sole commander of the remote control.

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And it's definitely not putting on the scariest movie possible and making your little brother watch it.

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It's not leading your little sister into the laundry room to make her do your share of the chores either.

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Nor is it “leading” her into your room afterwards to make her fold all of your clothing.

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And it’s definitely not leading the way for the biggest food fight your dining room has ever seen.

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Though….that looks pretty fun. Leadership at home definitely doesn’t mean

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any of these. Why?

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Well ignoring the fact that those examples look less like “leadership” and more like “totalitarian dictatorship”…

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Let’s focus on how these uh…”leadership” tactics are making everyone else in the family feel.

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Look at all those happy, smiling faces….

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Well shockingly enough, it looks like you haven’t been practicing positive leadership at home.

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Taking full control of the TV, forcing your sibling to do your chores, not giving a hoot

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about how it affects anyone else? That’s ultimately just selfishness.

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And when your main role around the home is a selfish dictator, no one's going to be happy.

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TV watching will be less “watching” and more “battling to the death.”

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Your chores will be less “you taking responsibility” and more, well, “battling to the death.”

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And that big food fight will be... well, actually that one would more or less stay the same.

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And guess what? That would all eventually lead to the real dictator

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exercising her power around the home.

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And considering mom has her own life and is working ridiculously long hours to make ends

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meet for you….she’d probably appreciate it if you weren’t acting like a colossal jerk when she gets home.

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So unless you plan to spend a life sentence without the possibility of parole watching soap operas…

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It's better for everyone that you learn to be a good leader at home.

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How? By leading by example and helping out with the chores...

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Or leading the family in finding a show everyone wants to watch...

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Or simply leading everyone in a positive, polite and entirely unmessy dining experience…

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Yeah, we know. Less fun. Just go with it.

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But by being a positive role model, life becomes a little easier, and you ensure that those

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shackles stay off for the foreseeable future.

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And we don’t know about you, but a life with less soap operas and more freedom is

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definitely one worth leading for.

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