Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Learning Curves


When Todd and I found out we were pregnant with Jack I immediately began to have that 'mom anxiety.' The kind where I worried about things that were out of my control. Things like: Is my baby really in there? Why don't I feel any different? When will I feel my baby move? Is my baby healthy? And on and on and on.

Once Jack was born healthy I was relieved. But then came another onslaught of worries. Will he walk on time? Will he learn to talk without impediments? Will he be a good sleeper? And on and on and on.

Luckily we ventured through infancy and toddlerhood without any major issues- with the exception of his croup problems.

Now that he's growing into a big boy/young man (exactly when does that shift happen?) my worries are still there, just different. Will he succeed in school? Will he have confidence? Will he respect adults? Will he treat his friends with respect? Will he get along with his sister? Will we be close?

Lucky for me most of those worries have dissipated. Don't get me wrong- I still have underlying anxiety for him- but he succeeds at most things. He's super successful at school, has lots of good friends, is generally a respectful young man and loves his sister (although they don't always get along). We have a solid relationship and talk often about important stuff, as well as mundane things.

But- there are now other worries. I do worry about his size. Will he be teased? Or better yet- when he is teased for being so small is he strong enough to stand up for himself? Will his 'spaciness' affect him down the road in school? Will he always be so messy and disorganized? :))

And- another new worry that came about last night:

How will he handle the pressures of sports? How does he stack up to his competition? Will he succeed? Will he learn from his mistakes? Will he continue to respect his coaches and learn from them? Will he be a leader on the field?

I have mixed feelings about these worries. He's 7 1/2 and just a kid. Why is there so much emphasis placed on 'being the best' in sports? Why is it so freaking competitive?

On the other hand we've never once had to push Jack with sports. He would rather have a ball in his hand than anything else in the world. He LOVES to play. He has never once wined about going to practice- in any sport. He thrives on the competition and the camaraderie. But man- it's intense at times. It's hard to watch, as his parent. He made a few mistakes last night and I pray he's learned from them. His coaches this season are working hard to teach Jack what he needs to know. He's the youngest and littlest (as usual) on his team. He's the only one who hasn't played in this higher level before and he has a lot to learn.

But- he's learning. He's trying his best. He's gaining the experience that all players in all sports need to feel confident and be a leader.

And by God he's having a good time. A really good time.






Until next time...

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