Is it wrong to force a child to do what you know is good for them? I have a child who doesn't like food. I generally go with the flow, he is not starving, and he easily drinks 1/2 gal of milk a day....but one meal a day, I monitor, and make sure he eats everything on his plate. He hates that. I have another guy who just isn't physical. He loves to swim, but outside of that, he doesn't move voluntarily. If I say, "Go outside and play!", I will find him laying in the grass playing some "make up a story game" with his friends/brothers. He needs to be pushed to play sports, dragged to the playground, it is sooooo frustrating. My oldest has had to be forced to do every single thing he loves in his life. Confusing I know. I'll explain. He didn't want to play football in high school. We gave him no choice, he had to try-out. Much to his dismay (and pride) he made the team. He started freshmen year at a new high school (not where his friends from Middle school were going) of over 3000 students, with a group of buddies to watch his back. He had instant cool factor, and fit in pretty easily. We then suggested he try wrestling for the winter. "Not interested, can't make me, I am fine." (never say , "can't make me" to your mother, especially if her name is Victoria Rhodes) I encouraged my husband to email the coach to express William's interest, as try-outs had passed. Next day, the coach brought William down to the wrestling room to take a look at him, and he is the next Heavy Weight hopeful-- coach has hopes of City championships dancing in his eyes. William loves wrestling. He made fantastic friends, really good kids. He likes it so much, he didn't want to play football this year. My other guy Jack has enough self drive for 10 kids, so he just needs my support, not my PUSHING. I do push them. I try to explain my motives along the way. Thankfully my oldest gets it, he can see a track record, that yes, Mom occasionally does know best. My younger son, the one who hates sports (or at least all sports that require equipment, and running in the heat), is not really feeling the love yet. I am trying to open my mind, and think out of the box. I don't want to shove my agenda down his throat, but I want him to embrace a healthy, active life style. I am sure no matter how I handle things, it will be a therapy topic down the road, so I might as well do what feels right.
I am helping to prepare a baby shower for a young woman at our church. She is young, just 22. Thinking about her, and what the future may hold for her and her little family, got me to thinking about life at 22. Much has changed for me since I was 22. That was really a difficult time. I didn't realize at the time that it was difficult. I had graduated from college, was having a post college, pre-real life, super good time. I was bar tending, partying, picking up and traveling to far away places to party some more. I didn't really have much in the way of financial responsibility yet, and my parents were living in Egypt-- leaving me in charge of the house and my younger sister. It was an "out all night, sleep all day", kind of life. To be honest, I was setting a pretty poor example for my sister, who at the time was working full-time at a nursing home, and was far more responsible than I was. Looking back at that time, and even later, till about age 25, it make...
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