Yeah, we've let the chess go and just aren't bringing it up-- but it's hard, because like you, Dude, I'm pretty sure he loves it but there is something that's bothering him about it that he isn't able to/doesn't want to communicate. I feel stuck, because part of me thinks it's best to just back off and not say a word about any of this, but part of me really suspects something happened or is happening internally that needs to be processed or dealt with. He is one of those kids who will suddenly come out with a sad, bizarro theory he's been holding onto for a while, and you're like "What? No! Omg." Deep emotional thinker, but he's only 6 so he gets things way wrong sometimes, of course. With the books, he told me he found at least one too hard (it likely was--I didn't vet it) and thought that meant he "shouldn't read big books" and was essentially punishing himself. (He would be a good Catholic. Heavy on guilting himself.) I thought I debunked that, but maybe not.
