I love how the parenting gig rides just like a roller coaster. Just when you think you've survived the last drop, you find yourself teetering over the edge of a bigger one. And I've only got one kid, geesh! I often find myself struggling and second-guessing the decisions I make as a mother (duh, isn't that part of the job description?).
Right now the big issue is whether to push Riley in school or hang back and let her develop into her own kind of student. She has always been advanced for her age, but socially she has been a bit of a follower because she wasn't often around other kids her age. So, now that she is in kindergarten I have noticed a (very slight) decline in her interest in academics and a (slightly stronger) interest in talking and playing with her peers. I KNOW this is just kindergarten but I also know that academic habits are established early.
Of course I want her to have strong friendships AND strong academic skills I just have to figure out how to balance my approach so that I'm not pushing her too hard towards one or against the other.
I also don't want her to grow up feeling like I will only accept perfection. I grew up feeling like those were my parents expectations for me (I still feel that way), and although I now know that they just wanted me to be my best, the stress of having that on my shoulders was/is exhausting (and I'm grown!). It will be hard to cheer for Riley when she brings home B's on her future report cards when I get myself into a week-long grouch fest if I even bring home one on a paper. Hopefully those grouch fests will be enough to motivate me to be different for her sake.
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