I had a day yesterday that I thought applied to this thread, so I'm resurrecting it...
Yesterday we went to a home school basketball day, where DS6 could learn a little about how to play the game without pressure or competition. It's part of our HS group's Olympics event that takes place between now and August 8, when the real summer Olympics begins. They get to try pretty much every Olympic sport that they want to try, partly for fun and to make friends (plus all the history, geography, etc. that we can cram in!), but partly to see how hard the sports really are. It's good stuff.
Anyway, DS6 has a thing about basketball--he thinks he's bad at it because he can't make baskets easily, even though virtually no 6yos can make baskets easily on the full-sized basket! It's the one place where I REALLY see his perfectionism, so this basketball day was just the thing for him!
He participated fine during the training camp part of the day. Then they were going to play a little scrimmage, and he didn't want to. He said, "I can learn by watching them play, too." No way was I letting him get away with that! He even cried a little because he was scared to fail, but I really thought he needed to try it.
I said that he had to be one the floor for one series of plays. If he hated it and wanted to sit down then, he could. The other boys on his team were really kind to him, telling him that no one in their age bracket had ever played a real game, and that just trying the game was what they were there for, too. It was GREAT!
He looked very uncomfortable on the floor at first, but he got out there. Once the ball came his way, though, he was all over it! I don't know how many jump balls he caused, but he really had the defense thing down! He was most excited when he got to handle the ball--"twice in a row, Mom!" he grinned.
Would he have oversome that obstacle if I weren't doing all the things I'm doing? The homeschooling, the gentle (but firm) pushing? Would a teacher have required him to get out there, tears or no?
I sincerely doubt it!
My point? Far from easing his way too much, I think DS6 is being challenged in ways that are really good for him. He's getting to overcome obstacles. I mean, one of the main reasons I'm HSing him is to make his way harder. I'm very conscious of that, and I don't think anyone but his mom or dad is going to do that for him.
Next we have to tackle kickball, since he has the same reaction to it that he had to basketball, apparently after some playground trauma at school last fall...
