Parenting and worrying seem to go hand in hand. At least they do for this neurotic blogger. Do some parents simply feed their kids and send them to school without being concerned that they are happy and fulfilled and challenged? Are some kids so perfect that they don’t require worry?
Pride is always there, too, which is the hope in the bottom of this Pandora’s box.
Ian taught himself how to use iMovie last week. So, he’s been making his own mock news shows. He films himself in the studio, aka the basement, using my cellphone. Then he sends the videos to my computer and splices them together with Jonah’s GarageBand music and cartoon clips from YouTube. His movies are a mixture of genius and insanity. We love them. Pride.
My kids take turns being the object of worry. Right now, I have a lot to sort out with Ian’s school. Over the summer, Jonah was the concern when he didn’t weigh enough to join the high school soccer team. I forced him to join the cross country team to keep his mind off the disappointment. He took to it right away. His wiry frame, which was a liability on the soccer field, is an asset on the cross country course.
He’s the fastest Freshman at his school. He’s the fastest Freshman in most of the surrounding towns. He’s so adorable, because he’s utterly shocked at his wins. He thinks that someone made a mistake.
So today, I’m worried about one kid and proud of two.
Apt. 11d 
I love these stories. I love hearing about the fastest kid, and it’s especially a delight when that kid is the one who just runs without looking behind him and finds himself ahead of everyone else. Go Jonah!
iMovie mock news shows are pretty great, too.
“Do some parents simply feed their kids and send them to school without being concerned that they are happy and fulfilled and challenged? Are some kids so perfect that they don’t require worry?”
I’m pretty certain the answer is no, but I do think we get better as the kids get older and we work to let them go.
And, thinking a bit about who the perfect kid might be who doesn’t require any worry. I don’t think there can be one, because that perfect kid would have to have a perfect parent, or they would worry anyway. I used to think there might be a perfect parent out there who would only worry when they should, and then, talking to the grandmothers, I decided that there’s no such thing, though some may be better than others.
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Go Jonah! He might also be a good swimmer, if he’s looking for something for a different season.
My friend’s son really got into making stop-action movies with Legos. It’s good for kids who like elaborate projects that require a lot of attention to detail. (Or maybe you could have Ian put together a thorough and unbiased analysis of the government shutdown based on the blog posts from recent days.) (If I knew how to do that wink emoticon I would put it here.)
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My 11-year-old was recently doing stop-motion Little People films. So cute!
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Oh, I worry too, you’re not the only one! My 11-year-old is doing stop-motion videos with household objects, AmyP!!
Anyway, this post is such a joy to read — and that great smile in the photo helps too! Congrats to Jonah, that’s awesome! And kudos to you for finding an alternative sport for him.
I hope things get sorted out with Ian’s school too, I can’t imagine how stressful that must be!
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O, darling, all of us worry more or less constantly. Even those whose daughters got a 96 on their last Calc test. 🙂
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Smiles and tissues 🙂
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In my experience, all parents worry, but not all parents worry about the things I would prefer they worry about.
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True story: Colleague was just telling me about a student who emailed him to say “Good news! 🙂 [smiley was included!–w] My parents got me a surprise birthday present: tickets to Disney World! So I will have to miss class on Thursday. Let me know if I miss anything!”
I do not understand why parents who are paying for a private college are paying for their child to miss class–and teaching her that her own needs/desire for fun is more important than this huge investment.
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I aim to be a “good enough” parent. Not perfect. I try to worry about the things I should worry about, but not the less-essential things.
For example, I have given up trying to clothe my children adequately for the weather. If my middle schooler doesn’t want to wear a coat when it’s 45 deg. F. outside, fine. If he gets cold, he’ll wear a coat next time.
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