sweet pea is like a ping pong ball bouncing all over the place. how could one child cause such joy and such consternation? i am constantly baffled by his wisdom, and frustrated by his activity. after spending an entire weekend trying to figure out how to handle his complete knowledge of guns and their function (acquired at school on friday?!?), i talked to his preschool teachers who assured me the only problem they have at school is the use of the word stupid. on so many levels that is frustrating. especially when he came home last night asking what shut up means. i want to make sure he can deal with all of life's troubles, and protect him from them at the same time. preschool teachers cannot be aware or prevent every crazy thing from filtering into the spongy mind of my boy (but shouldn't they at least notice?).
another parent at school asked if i wanted her to pick me up information about a parenting class on "high spirited" children. thanks for noticing. thank you very much. it's like reading those darn "what to expect...." books right after you have a baby and stressing out about whether or not your kid is eating enough. intuitively i know if you trust yourself, the parenting just happens naturally. being kind people and loving your children has to pay off in the end, right? can you tell how freaked out i am about parenting a preschooler?!? i can't even imagine what i'll do when he wants to go on a date. i know it all comes down to our parenting. to ignore or not to ignore. to give control and to take it away. teaching empathy. controlling anger. teaching by example. following through. being consistent. and i find, as with most things, the harder you try to be the "perfect" parent, the less likely you are to achieve that goal. i just can't help but feel that if i let up for a second my boy will be sharking the playground for lunch money.
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