I abhorred being ordered about as a kid. And today - as I try to get busy I see why that seems like the natural way to have kids work their way around your routine.
I disagree, though. Being complained about (I was a very dreamy kid), nagged to speed up (very very slow) and yelled at remains my poorest memory. I probably deserved all of it, but it certainly left me with a feeling that somehow my nature was an ill-fit into the fast paced life that was around me.
Turns out my artistry, ability to slow down and dream turned me into a tenacious hard worker; and someone capable of finding innovative solutions to ordinary problems. Who else would think of using chalkboards for grocery lists (I swear amazon copied the idea from me). So I wonder why I would bully my kid who shows the same outlier tendencies. I hear my mother's voice as I say 'come on I already showed you how to do it, again?'
I never thought of what to say when people ask 'how did you travel with him when you were sick?'
'How do you do this/paint with him?'
The answer is simple - I dont assume I am right. He is right, too. He has a right to be slow, to ask again, to find my behavior annoying and to disagree. I am the boss, but I am not always in the right. As long as I remembered that, I found I was polite and considerate in my responses to him. Turns out - being polite elicited the same behavior from him.
I rest my case.
I disagree, though. Being complained about (I was a very dreamy kid), nagged to speed up (very very slow) and yelled at remains my poorest memory. I probably deserved all of it, but it certainly left me with a feeling that somehow my nature was an ill-fit into the fast paced life that was around me.
Turns out my artistry, ability to slow down and dream turned me into a tenacious hard worker; and someone capable of finding innovative solutions to ordinary problems. Who else would think of using chalkboards for grocery lists (I swear amazon copied the idea from me). So I wonder why I would bully my kid who shows the same outlier tendencies. I hear my mother's voice as I say 'come on I already showed you how to do it, again?'
I never thought of what to say when people ask 'how did you travel with him when you were sick?'
'How do you do this/paint with him?'
The answer is simple - I dont assume I am right. He is right, too. He has a right to be slow, to ask again, to find my behavior annoying and to disagree. I am the boss, but I am not always in the right. As long as I remembered that, I found I was polite and considerate in my responses to him. Turns out - being polite elicited the same behavior from him.
I rest my case.
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