August 03, 2005

Parental Frustration

This morning Son informed me he didn't feel like going to college camp. I had to sit down with him and try to figure out just why he didn't want to go, and it came down to either another kid was bugging him, and that he didn't know how to play any of the games in team sports. Well, I told him to tell that kid to bugger off, and that the coach for team sports is there to help him learn how to play.

I'm getting pretty damn frustrated with Son giving up whenever something gets the least little bit difficult! He quit swimming lessons because he got scared, he won't go to childrens' church because no one talks to him or plays with him (which, if he never goes, how will he make friends?), he doesn't want to go to back to school, and now he wants to poop out on college camp.

Money aside, and this stuff isn't free, I can understand why he doesn't want to go back to school. I mean, I never wanted to either, but I did, and I'm getting sick of him pouting about this or that. He's giving up, and that's not like Husband or me, and if this keeps up he'll never get anywhere. He'll turn out like a couple of his cousins, who are constantly told by their mother that they can't do stuff "normal" kids do because they're "special." Lazy is more like it, especially their mother, but that's a rant for another time.

I let Son bow out of swimming because if he was scared, why force him? But the other stuff, like not wanting to go to kids' church, pooping out on a week-long camp...what the heck do I do? I don't want to get nasty, I mean, do I want my kids to resent going to church? He was so excited about camp this week, and after two days he wants to quit.

What do I do about this? Husband says to make Son go, and tell him he's going back to school and that's that.

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