Roller Coaster Madness

I think of this scene from Parenthood all the time. I am like Steve Martin's character, but I like to think I'm like Mary Steenbergen's character.  Probably the worse type of parent there could be.  I guess the good news is that I can acknowledge my issue and work at overcoming it. 

Today I totally discouraged my two year old.  He loves to "do school."  So I've been going to Homeschool Share and downloading all the fun and free preschool lapbooks and we've been doing them together.  He LOVES it.  He wants to do it.  And he really LOVES it.

The problem is that for a little over four years I was a Home School support group leader and I spent a ton of my time telling all the first-time mommies with 3 year olds to quit trying to teach their kids to read and do math until later.  MUCH later.  I would say, "Have fun with them!  Explore, cook, make playdough, go to the park."  This advice is burned in my brain.  I believe it.  Except for my own temporary insanity with MY first, I've followed my own advice to a "T."

Because of that, I've been a little uncomfortable with Henry's fascination for creating paperwork.  There have been times when I've tried to read a book to the boy that's related to our lapbooking, but in the middle of the book, he has interupted me to request that we "do school."  WHAT?  We were reading a LIVING BOOK together.  sigh.  So in the last month or so, I've tried to skirt the whole school issue with him and have worked extra, extra hard at making sure he has been busy with crafts, blocks, going outside & etc.  He has never given up asking me to do school.  I've been side-stepping his question with "let's go outside & etc."

Today he was having nothing to do with it.  He asked me and I said, "Do you want to help me make some Chicken Pot Pie?"  No.  He didn't.  He had a recorder in his hand and threw it as hard as he could into the living room and walked away, shaking his head.

WAAAAAAH.  I ran to him and begged him to forgive me and promised that we would do school tomorrow.  Daggone it, we will!

No more white-knuckling the roller coaster car.  I've got to let go and enjoy the ride with my kids and quit trying to make them follow patterns that I think should be followed.  Sometimes they might just lead me down a fun hill.......