Yes this is my CrossFit blog but as the Director of our CrossFit Kids program, I am also passionate about kids and the foundation we are setting for their future. I parent my two wild boys (ages 4 and 6) and coach 25 wonderfully exuberant kids and 15 teens (mainly boys) at our box three times a week, and although that doesn't make me an expert, it does allow me a lot of time to observe activity in all age levels.
Peering out from our kitchen window while I am making lunch today, I see this (picture below): my almost 6 year old son hanging from our trellis in his underwear and no shoes. So for those that are ready to judge me based on the photo alone, please do. Because...
NO I don't run to my child's rescue (I take photos instead)
YES I do allow my kids to run everywhere without shoes on
YES its true, my kids are rarely every fully dressed
YES let's face it, I let my boys pee outside
So now that we all know that I am one of the "those" parents, you can rest easy that I also know that I am one of "those" parents, and I am surprisingly content and happy about it.
I intently watched my son dangle from the trellis with the CrossFit coach in me asking "I wonder how long he can hold himself up there?" (I told you I was one of "those"), and the mother side of me hoping he will find his way down without getting hurt. I watched the myriad of facial expressions wash across his face.
I saw the CONCERN:
when he realized his arms were getting tired
but it was a long fall down
I saw the THOUGHT:
when he knew he needed a solution.
He looked at the dangling rope he had put there a half hour earlier
which at this time resembled more of a floppy tight rope.
He tried multiple times to stand on it for support and
use his feet to gain stability with it. He got no relief from that.
He then shimmied himself down the trellis beam a couple of feet where a lawn chair was stationed. He put his feet on it and stared down contemplating if it would hold him or not.
In good judgment, he passed up that option too.
He looked to the right, and left and up and down to seek relief for his tired arms.
Nothing.
I saw the PAIN:
when his arms were about to give out and he wasn't sure if he could hold on anymore.
I saw him re-grip the trellis and grit his teeth and grimace (literally) over and over with the determination not to fall.
and I saw the VICTORY:
when he found the solution, when he held on long enough to get to the end where he could climb down safely.
and I also heard about the Victory when he ran inside and proclaimed:
son: "MOM, did you see me outside?"
me: "YES I did. I saw you make really good decisions and get yourself down without getting hurt"
son: "I know. I thought about jumping down on that chair but realized it would tip and I could get hurt."
me: "I was very impressed with how you thought that through"
son: "My arms feel so much stronger now" (and the CrossFit coach in me smiles)
He had a sense of pride- a sense of accomplishment. Something he couldn't have felt had I rescued him. No doubt I could have easily ran to his rescue and scooped him down, but my boys are always finding precarious places to hang, climb and jump and one day they will be in a spot where I won't be a few feet away ready to be at their rescue. I want their problem solving skills to be fine tuned.
Skills are not perfected by teaching alone, but by diligently practicing them.
But let's be realistic, had he been in real harm and danger, I wouldn't have let my son dangle precariously. But calculated decisions to let our kids struggle and learn through experience is vital in providing a healthy foundation of problem solving that they will use throughout life.
No comments:
Post a Comment