※English version below – sending love across the ocean.
この下に英語版もあります。海の向こうの誰かにも、届きますように。

「子どもが自分でスケジュールを決める」って素敵なことだけど、時々想定外のリクエストも飛び出してきますよね。
先日、うちの息子Geneが視覚支援（コバリテ）のスケジュール表を使って、困ったお願いをしてきたんです。

📅 3週間スケジュールに「犬と遊ぶ」？

Geneは3週間スケジュール表をチェックしながら、嬉しそうに1枚の絵カードを手に持ってきた。
それは… 「犬と遊ぶ」🐶 のカード。

「スケジュールに入れて！」と、しっかりリクエスト。

でも… うちには犬がいない！！！🤣

「どうしよう…」と思いつつ、とりあえず2週間後のスケジュールに追加。

本当は、その時にきちんと交渉して代替案を見せるのがベストなのは分かってる。
分かっちゃいるけど、Geneとの交渉ってそんな簡単なものじゃない。
ちょっとの間違いで、兄弟喧嘩並みのカオスが巻き起こる💦

この時は、未来のトラブルよりも、今を平和に過ごしたい欲のほうが勝ってしまった…。

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🐾 代わりに何をスケジュールに入れよう？

このままだと、2週間後に「犬どこ？」ってなる。
そして、最初に避けたカオスの状況が時差をおって襲ってくるだけ😱

それまでに、平和に何か他の予定と交渉して、差し替えなきゃ…💦

候補として考えているのは…
✅ ぬいぐるみの犬と遊ぶ時間にする？（いやいや、バカにするなってGeneが怒るよね😂）
✅ 公園で他の人の犬を見てみる？（離れなくなって迷惑かける率100％😅）
✅ 近所の牧場に牛を見に行く？（これかな…🐄でも牛だけど…）

「スケジュールを自分で決めることが楽しい」って思えるのはすごく良いこと！
だからこそ、「実現可能な選択肢」を一緒に考えるって、とても大事だよね。

さて、みなさんならどうしますか？
「犬と遊ぶ」代わりに良さそうなアイデアがあったら、ぜひ教えてください🐶✨

“Play with the dog” … But we don’t even have a dog!

Kids and Their Unexpected Requests

Having kids means encountering all sorts of unexpected requests. Sometimes, they make perfect sense. Other times, they leave you wondering, “Wait… what?”

Recently, my son Gene came to me with a request that had me scratching my head. Using his visual schedule (Covalitte), he eagerly brought me a picture card and made a very clear request.

📅 “Play with the Dog” on His Three-Week Schedule?

Gene happily picked up a picture card and pointed at his three-week schedule.

“Put this in!” he insisted.

I looked at the card. It was “Play with the Dog.”

The only problem? We don’t have a dog! 🐶😅

I hesitated, unsure of what to do. In theory, I should have negotiated with him and explained the situation right away. That would have been the ideal parenting move. But if you’ve ever tried negotiating with a determined child (especially one like Gene), you know—it’s not that simple.

A single misstep in the conversation, and suddenly, our peaceful moment could spiral into chaos. It’s like setting off a sibling rivalry… except it’s just the two of us.

So, in a moment of surrender to short-term peace, I placed the “Play with the Dog” card two weeks ahead on the schedule. Problem solved? Well, not really.

🐾 What Should Replace It?

Of course, in two weeks, I’d have to deal with the real problem:

“Where’s the dog?”

And this time, delaying the answer wouldn’t be an option. I needed to come up with an alternative plan before that day arrived. Here were my options:

✅ Play with a stuffed dog (But let’s be real—Gene would see right through that and probably be offended. 😂)

✅ Go to the park and see other people’s dogs (Risk level: HIGH. Once Gene sees a dog, getting him to leave peacefully is a whole other challenge.)

✅ Visit a local farm and see cows instead (Not quite a dog, but… maybe close enough?)

Helping kids take ownership of their schedules is an amazing thing. It builds independence and helps them understand time and planning. But it also comes with unexpected surprises like this one—where their reality and ours don’t quite align.

What Would You Do?

So, here’s my dilemma. How do I swap out “Play with the Dog” for something just as exciting?

If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Drop your ideas—I’d love to hear them! 🐶✨