Wednesday, May 10

Open Dialog

Today Allaire is home sick, complaining of a sore throat, tummy ache, and she has a low-grade fever. She's watching home videos and munching on saltines while sipping tea. She'll get the gagworthy strep test later this afternoon. Poor girl.

She and I had a long talk about softball or foreign language this summer. We've signed her up for softball and then along came the opportunity to take a foreign language at the same time as softball. Though the foreign language camp is only 5 days, it is the first week of softball.

What's a mother to do?

Jon and I talked it over and agree on the importance of language immersion...especially at this age. Allie fears it'd be "only Spanish" and the last class she took she got terribly frustrated at not knowing what to do or say, or better yet, what her instructors were saying.

Understandable.

I encouraged her to accept this knowing this is how she will learn.

Allie and I decided she could start softball during the second week because Spanish camp is only one full week. This seemed to satisfy her. Now I have to contact the rec center to make sure this is a possibility!--which it is. It's only Monday and Wednesday, so she'll only miss the first two practices.

Again, to push something the child is not comfortable with or maintain that the child knows what she wants to do and stick with that? I feel gently shoving Allie outside of her comfort zone will only benefit her in the long-run. Encouraging her to go into a situation not knowing anyone is an opportunity to meet new people and be brave.

So far she's cool with all of it.

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