The Gingerbread Man

The paper Gingerbread Man had been hacked to pieces with a pair of age-appropriate scissors. Arms and legs were missing or mutilated. The head had taken on an unusual shape. The kindergarten student screamed in frustration, “Tee-CHER, Tee-CHER. He won’t let me cut him out!” Mrs. Smith, an experienced teacher who I always admired for her patience with young children, could only assure Bobby that it was alright and he needed to do the best he could. If I had been in the room at the time I would have been laughing hysterically. Mrs. Smith saved her laughter until she shared the story with some other staff members and me later that day.

Bobby had the same problem that many adults have. They suffer from, “It’s the Gingerbread Man’s Fault” syndrome. Our tendency is to blame someone or something else for things that we are personally responsible. Each of us is responsible for the choices we make. We are personally accountable for what we do and what we fail to do

Simply placing blame will not solve any of our problems. We must take ownership of those things that are within our control. It is not in our best interest to place the blame on the Gingerbread Man.