This is a rare post in which I criticize my parenting.
There are days that I have unrealistic expectations of my children. Like with Inwe and reading. She can read. She does read. She just doesn't respond to my request for reading. We are currently repairing our reading relationship by using a book called Raising a Reader, graciously loaned to us by Trixie in Transit.
Today my unrealistic expectation was for Larien. I expected her to jump into the pool and listen to Shaggy as she has for the past two days. I shouldn't have expected this. The air temperature was just 74°F this morning. Larien has no body fat. Larien does not tolerate being chilled. She even likes the bath water quite hot.
She got in the water and in five minutes had made the decision to not continue the lesson. Not even the fulfilled threat of giving her Barbie to Finwe got her to go back in the pool. I felt my anger beginning to rise. It took all my internal strength not to get angry at her for her decision. I didn't even want to get her towel for her. I didn't even want to pick her up.
I did do all these things, but she still doesn't get the Barbie back today.
Do you see why we do the inside lessons in the heated pool? I will not do this again. A pox on me for thinking August would be warm enough for outside swim lessons in the morning.
2 comments:
I constantly battle unrealistic expectations that I set for my kids - mostly I set them for Tate, the second child. Although he is only a grade level behind Lake, he is a full 20 months younger. Even this summer I questioned whether or not I should have held him back and let him start kindergarten this year. I know I did the right thing by sending him to kindergarten last year - he was intellectually ready. He scored higher on the magnet school test than Lake. He was reading earlier than Lake. But, see? There I go with my own unrealistic expectations - the worst of it being that I compare them to each other.
I hope you atleast find comfort in the fact that you are not alone in these parenting struggles!
Soon I will join this club! I already have unrealistic expectations for my husband. Why not my kids, too?
Post a Comment