Connie Sokol: When all else fails, shorten the tow rope

Recently, I read in Newsweek about a creative solution to a problem, which,

strangely enough, has improved my parenting.

On April 11, the cargo ship Maersk Alabama was under siege from Somali

pirates. They attacked the ship on April 8 and Richard Phillips, the ship's

captain, was being held hostage on a lifeboat.

Navy SEALs aboard the USS Bainbridge were monitoring the situation, which

worsened by the minute.

Then an important piece of information surfaced: The pirates had run out of

the narcotic leaf they chewed and were experiencing withdrawl symptoms. The

resulting cravings made them not only erratic but extremely seasick. Reportedly,

an intelligence officer came up with a creative solution.

Newsweek reported: "The SEALs aboard the USS Bainbridge shortened the tow rope to the

lifeboat containing the captain and his captors until the boat was tossing and

wallowing in the ship's wake." This violent motion had the pirates leaning over

the side of the lifeboat to take care of business, allowing the SEALs to take

care of their business.

(Navy snipers fired simultaneous shots under the cover of night, killing the

three pirates holding Phillips.)

To say this incident positively affected my abilities as a mother may seem

extreme, but it reminded me of something I often forget — the creative

solution.

Rather than having the SEALs go in with guns blazing from the start, they

stopped, thought about the situation, utilized key information, then found an

appropriate solution.

As parents, it's easy to react to situations (especially in summer when