Today I am writing about Caden, who is about to be 6, but has grown so much over this year. He has made me nuts but also has helped me grow as a parent. More on his wonderfulness for a birthday post to come.
Yesterday, he had his 2nd spring soccer practice. Last fall we did soccer and every week there were arguments, avoidance and frustration for both him and us. This spring I had anxiety about what it was going to be like each week. The first week was rough but ended on a good note. The first game was amazing. So yesterday I wondered what it would be like. We gave him our typical talk, "You can play until we call you over to practice. We should only have to ask 1 time." He did it (to be honest I don't even know if we asked him one time or he did it on his own.)!
The best part was the drive home. I told him we (dad and I) were so proud of how hard he worked during soccer. He excitedly stated "You only had to tell me 1 time!" I agreed and said that we were proud of him and he was so brave for doing it all by himself this time. He didn't need us to go with him on the field.
I asked him if he was proud of himself and he said "YES!" Then what followed came as a surprise and seems so thought provoking, for an almost 6 year old boy.
"It is important to love yourself, mom." I agreed and said yes it was very important to love yourself. He then asked what happened if you didn't. I said sometimes things make people feel sad and then they try to work on fixing those things so they can feel good again.
I love when these little things happen that make me realize what a sensitive soul he is and how thoughtful he can be. I have a feeling he thinks about stuff like this a lot. I see it here and there in the way he questions and talks about experiences.
As with most parents, I make mistakes in my parenting choices and I wonder how it will affect my kids in the long run of life. Then, these moments happen and I realize we are doing it right, enough of the time, that we have fantastic kids.
