Pressure. Oh the pressure of excelling. This is one of those blogs postings where I'm really just thinking out loud. I mean, you all want to know what random thoughts my mind processes. Right? I fall into the trap just as easily as the next person. It's not just the pressure to excel at one thing, it's the pressure to excel in everything. It's the idea that in order to be well rounded individuals and be successful adults, our kids must be involved in a gazillion different activities. Not just to be doing a wide variety of things, but to be excelling at each of them. If they are not being constantly stimulated and pushed we're not doing our job. If we're not raising the next Mozart, Picasso, Michael Phelps, Anna Pavlova, or Frank Lloyd Wright we must be failing as parents. I admit it, I'm guilty. The little jealous side of me when I hear a family talk about how all their kids play an instrument, are on the swim team, do art class two times a week, some type of scouts or group activity, horse back riding, acting and the odd interspersed activities to make sure their kids are exposed to everything. I mean why would we want our kids to miss out on anything.
All those things are fun and provide good and educational experiences. Who wants to say no to good things. Definitely not me. I wonder how good it is though? What if money was no obstacle and the world was a buffet of activities and experiences for the taking? I mean are the kids of families with schedules jam packed of experiences any better off than the kids who might have one or two activities a week? What about family time? Is there time to build a relationship with our kids, or is most of out time spent together in frustration getting from one place to the next. Are we fostering a quiet spirit in our kids? A spirit that is silent enough to listen instead of being in constant chaos and distraction. The school of silence is where we are open to hearing God. If we have nothing but constant noise and distraction in our life will we ever hear Him? How do we combat a consumer mentality. The attitude that I must have it and I must have it right now. Moderation, discernment, what's that? We all want our kids to have the best. What if the "best" we give is doing more harm than good? What if instead of fostering an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude, we're fostering an attitude of entitlement and false expectation?
These are really important questions I think every family must ask. Kids by their very nature are more prone to flit float from one thing to the next. To be passionate about music lessons one week only to despise them the next. They hear about such and such activity their friend is now doing and they want to do it too. It's so easy to think we're ruining our kids chances of a happy, filled childhood because they are missing out. We certainly can find a way and the means to squeeze in one more thing. Really when it comes down to it our kids will value what we value and mirror us whether we want them to or not. What do we want them to value? What do we want them to mirror? When we strive at being mediocre at many things we never truly have the discipline to master anything.
The school year is coming to a close and I'm already thinking about the fall. I'm going to be asking myself these very same questions in the coming weeks. What do I want my children to love and value? Is what I'm giving them and what they are involved in encouraging them to love and value the proper things or is it just more noise, busyness, and distraction? What are our non-negotiables and why? I'll readily admit, I don't have any prodigies among my crew. They are all have own unique talents and gifts. God gave them those talents and gifts and it's up to me to encourage their proper use and place. The most important thing for them to remember is that they may be "average" in the eyes of the world, but they are extraordinary in the eyes of God. I guess everything else stems from that realization. As much as I love them, God love them far greater. I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights. We're all in this together. Right? God, bless you on this journey.
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