The boys attended VBS this past week, which was fabulous. Truly, this was one of the best Bible Schools I have ever seen. The theme was Galilee and the church went all out. We were encouraged to attend as a family so I stayed and hung out with the kids. (Look for pictures with a narrative later this weekend -this post is really about my little weaver.) One of the stations was set up by a group of weavers who brought a couple of large looms and a spinning wheel. To say Nathan was mesmerized is an understatement. He LOVED the weaving station. The first night, he headed directly to the loom and of the 1/2 hour he had in the market place, he spent all but 5 minutes there. I thought he'd get frustrated because weaving is no easy task especially with the motor skills of a 6 year old so initially, I decided to "help". He was having a little problem going in and out with the shuttle so I, in my infinite mommy wisdom, "helped" by holding on to his hand and the shuttle and "helping" him weave in and out.
"Don't stop Nathan, you're doing a good job," this crazy mom exclaimed.
"No, Mom you are doing a good job, could you stop helping please!"
Could the message be any clearer? Step back, Mom and let me do it, succeed or fail I want to do it. So, I stepped back. (then took some terrific photos of my very cute, very independent son, which I will post later)
What Nathan will take from this experience is the joy of weaving... it takes patience and attention and is a really fun activity but the lesson for me was much more profound. He still needs me but he is growing up, maturing. We are entering a new stage in life, in our dealings with one another. Backing off a bit is not a bad thing. Letting him work it out for himself can be a better teacher than a thousand words from me. It's definitely a better teacher than me doing it for him. So I'm learning to let go a little, offer support then wait until it's needed- until it's asked for. And I am extremely proud of his determination, his perseverance, and his independent spirit.
And he's already asking if we can buy a loom!
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2 comments:
That is one of the hardest lessons to learn as a mommy: learning when to back away. Sounds like you're doing a great job,though!
I enjoyed catching up with your previous week's postings. It sounds like the boys' summer is full of good things, and I love it when a youngster finds one more activity that catches his imagination, such as Nathan's weaving kick. Every one of them expands a life and makes it richer for as long as the child lives. And the ones that continue, such as Sully's music, are profound in the impact they have on a life.
My neighbor's garden (on my lot) has both benefited and suffered from all the rain we've had. The tomatoes are, indeed, large and mostly green, but even tomatoes can get too much water and too little sun, and many of them are going bad before they get a chance to ripen. Only the summer squash (crook-neck) seems to have thrived and produced tons of good fruit. I'm waiting for the bell peppers to turn from green to yellow and hope that they will survive to do so. The rain has also made the weeks grow at an alarming rate. Anyway, the little tomatoes you've harvested so far looked really good.
Continued good luck with all your ventures (including the weight-loss and associated cookie resistance).
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