Comments on: that joke isn’t funny anymore

By: radmama

radmama — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:01:42 +0000

I have a jumping Josephine! First jumper of three kidlets. Some jump, some don’t.

By: claudette

claudette — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:18:23 +0000

This reminds me of my daughter Sabine sooooo much. She’s almost three and she hated the jolly jumper. She avoids jumping at gymnastics as well and had a “lay down and cry” fit on the trampoline. She can kinda jump now but only from watching her 8 month old brother go nuts in the jolly jumper.

By: Betty M

Betty M — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:27:50 +0000

I ache inside when I see my daughter rushing to the front to be picked but just isn’t loud or pushy enough to catch the attention of the person in the front handing out the whatevers. But you can’t teach non-shyness or rather there may always be some hyper pushy me me me kid in any place she goes so I just have to suck it up. Makes me want to embarrass her and me and cry though.

By: misty

misty — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:53:06 +0000

Um yeah I’ve been there. In a terrible way I’ve been there. The fact I have no real advice shows just how maturely I handled it at times. Luckly Reiley grew out of his awkwardness before I made too much of a fool of myself.

By: conversemomma

conversemomma — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:02:39 +0000

Yes. I’ve been there. I watch Jack struggle to socalize. He is so shy. We go to playdates and he goes off into his own imaginary worlds. He never joins the crowd. I am not a joiner, and I always thought I wanted my own little rebel, but it makes me cringe and worry. I don’t want him to be the kid that no one sits with at lunch. I know he is only three, and developmentally there is sooo much time, but my heart tells me that he is going to dance to the beat of his own drum for a lifetime. At some point, this will be what marks him as great, but he is going to have to survive school first. Oh, I worry.

By: niobe

niobe — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:46:08 +0000

I may be coming at this from a different place because I have a teenager, but here’s what I think: one of the most important things that parenting teaches you — partly though difficult experiences like this — is to detach and separate from your kid, to see him/her as an entirely separate individual whose successes and challenges are his/her own and not yours.

So, strategies include: (1) having someone else (O’s dad, a friend, a grandparent) take him to the class; (2) unless an adult’s participation is required, don’t stay and watch the class. Just go sit outside or grab a coffee or whatever and come back to pick O up when it’s over; (3) if you have to stay in gym, bring a book or a laptop and read or chat with the other parents.

Now, these strategies focus on the class, but, in general, cultivating an attitude of detachment, reinforced by some selective inattention, is what worked for me. Your mileage may vary.

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:25:12 +0000

Stubborn, difficulty with criticism, quick to anger?

I’m blaming my parents.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:09:46 +0000

Yep, we’re having the same dilemma. Euey, the poor boy, seems to have my lack of coordination, whereas Aoife takes after Will. As horridly sexist as it is, sometimes I can’t help but wish it were the other way round. Sport is such a large part of any Aussie male discussion / actiity / general way of being. He also has absolutely no interest in most sports. We’re still searching though, and so far he is pretty good with a golf club and seems to enjoy tennis type activities. Maybe it’s just a process of trying everything ’til you find the one that doesn’t involve jumping.

By: Janet

Janet — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:57:29 +0000

Both of my older kids sit at the piano, metronome ticking away, playing completely off the beat.

Can’t you hear the beat? Can’t you feel the beat? I wonder silently, biting my lip.

Hi, I’m Janet. And my kids have no rhythm. Yet.

By: edj

edj — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:38:46 +0000

Oh yes I can relate. I am physically very timid, for which in part I blame my mother. I was so determined not to pass that on. Turns out it’s not just the parenting that did it. I can still blame my mother, though, right?

AND, my second son is completely flaky and disorganized. This one hurts; who knew it was genetic? I scold him for forgetting his homework, while knowing that he really did forget, just like I always did. I hate knowing the difficulties this is going to cause him in life.