Devoting Time to Dry Run Activities

It's not difficult to practice. But it is time-consuming. Much like a solid workout or self-help session, the things we do to make ourselves better require us to back away from day-to-day tasks and shut out the world long enough to accomplish something in solitude...

The dry run is just as critical as any form of training. In fact, the resources we rely on daily have skills honed by the time devoted to the Dry Run. Nurses, EMTs, Firefighters, Police Officers, and the numerous other emergency personnel not mentioned so far can be their best only through stepping outside their routines to build skills. Still, time must be dedicated to complete the training and enhancement of skills and tactics.

As children and parents, we often refer to these aspects as practice. But practice isn't enough. I once had a music teacher that would hound us and tell us daily that perfect practice makes perfect. I couldn't disagree more. I've learned more through failed notes, failed lyrics, failed experiments, failed relationships, failed safety measures and more. These failures are my practice. Often times the meaning behind practice is left to interpretation that something should be tried and repeated. But the part left out is that the mistakes should be recognized and corrected.

This is where the Dry Run has its ultimate power over just plain old practice. Dry runs anticipate failure, recognizes that it exists, and it helps to find holes in plans and gear. Only by staring failure in the face and realizing that the outcome is dependent on the forethought we bring to the table can we as parents be more prepared for the dangers at the door.

Episode 2 - Devoting Time to the Dry Run