Can Your Kid Ride an Elevator?

The other day I was attending a meeting in a conference room inside a local hospital. I was directed to the Heron Room on the lower level and gestured toward the elevator bank. Once inside, I looked for the button that would represent that floor. Since there wasn't an "L", I tried the "1" because in some buildings I've seen that button mean the lowest level. The doors reopened on my current floor as if to say guess again. My only other option that I saw was a button labeled "-1". Presto! Down I went. When the doors opened after my -1 descent, a large glass sign with a giant "L" greeted me.

This got me thinking. Having developed my abstract-thinking skills I was able to decode the road blocks and get to my destination. It took a few attempts, because things were not laid out as clearly as anticipated. I knew that "lower level" meant below. I knew that sometimes "1" meant lower. When I didn't find a logical button to push, I tried again and hit the jackpot with "-1". Being welcomed with the giant "L" sign merely gave me a chuckle and revealed that the project planning had not included a final meeting with the person ordering the signs and the one installing the elevator.

Look how many steps it took for an adult to ride the elevator. And, how many logical steps had to be by-passed in order for me to achieve my simple objective of arriving in the Heron room on time?

How would a concrete-thinking kid handle all of this? Could you tell your child, "Go down to the L level and I'll meet you there"? What would they do when there wasn't an "L" to choose on the elevator panel?

I think we need to coach our kids in the unexpected "-1" thinking. More than teaching the steps, we need to teach the why behind the steps. This will serve them far better as they navigate the unexpected or possibly an emergency in life.

When our girl was 14, we flew her across country to visit family friends. She had a layover on the return trip and was told the final flight home had been cancelled. Rather than say "oh" and sit down in wonder, she looked the agent in the eyes and said, "I need you to do whatever it takes to get me home tonight." She was polite, had a big smile and arrived home only 3 hours late. Not bad for her first solo flight.

Something tells me that she would've found the -1 button that day, too.