What Goes Around Comes Around

Bethany — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:07:43 +0000

I’ve been actively encouraging my kids to practice trying new things, even when the new things are hard to do or green-eggs-and-ham unattractive. I think trying new things is an important skill to learn, so I’m teaching it to my kids despite the inevitable hassle it creates for yours truly. Interestingly, the whole world seems to have lined up with my curriculum lately, a favorite TV show the other day had a catchy “Keep Trying” song that’s worked its way into Maggie & Degen’s repertoire. So, the other day my father-in-law reported that as he worked on some fairly mundane task the kids constantly chimed in encouragingly with a chorus of “Keep trying! Keep trying! Don’t give up, dont give up!”

Degen decided yesterday that it would be fun to try to learn to tie knots in a short piece of thin, red cord he found on the floor. Great! Knots are something any four-year-old can work on independently, no effort from Mom, right? WRONG! Tying the knots is something he does himself, but what happens when his string is all knotted up? He asks mommy to untie all the knots (now!) so he can re-tie them.

Red cord, untangled

The thing is, I feel guilty about my impatience with this process, not only because I’ve encouraged him to try and practice, but because I remember doing the same thing to my own mother! I think it involved knots in what must have been much more irritating and challenging thin chain necklaces. And my sometimes unreliable memory tells me that my own mother patiently unraveled those chains multiple times. So now I spend my time straightening 14 inches of tangled red string again and again and again.

Thanks Mom.

Bethanyology » trying

What Goes Around Comes Around