I'm a bit late on this discussion - lots of family stuff yesterday - but I feel compelled to say a word or two.
One of the things I appreciate most about this board is how open people are about their concerns, worries, and insecurities. You read that other people have insecurities that you recognize in yourself, and all of a sudden you think it can't be so awful.
When I read Incogneato's very nice statement about struggling to find the right middle ground I thought - that's exactly right! That's just how I feel! On the one hand, I want to provide a rich environment - one where the child has lots of opportunities to latch onto interesting things that really speak to them. (Perhaps all the more so in my case, since I feel that's one of the things my own childhood was lacking.) On the other hand, you want to know (as if you could ever really *know*] that it's opportunities you're providing and not obligations. And then finally you begin to wonder - when it comes to the inevitable power-dynamic that exists between a young child and a parent he or she admires and looks up to - whether there's really much of bright line difference between these anyway. When I read about the Chapman case all these insecurities came sweeping into play. Until you read the follow-up report - and learn that there was all this clearly over-the-line stuff about stealing test answers and such - the whole story is very scary. So thanks so much, Incogneato and others, for sharing the concerns that you have, and know that I, for one, recognize them very clearly.
But thanks too to Kriston and Dottie. Because I think there's an awful lot of good sense in trusting your experience and not second-guessing yourself. And it's a huge relief to have someone say that so clearly.
BB
