Monday, February 22, 2010

Post 125- B1 On Hockey

After a couple weeks of lackluster game "performance" B1 has a great hockey game. Now by performance I don't mean an evaluation of his skills, the number of goals and whether he performed at an elite level. Rather, I mean the difference between showing you want to be there, are having fun and giving it your effort versus just showing up or "mailing it in."

We struggled a bit with trying to find ways to get his inner desire active enough that he'd want to try harder - not so he would score more goals (He's at 26, and they're 6, really?!), but so he would take more of it in and really "be" involved. I think whatever combination of parental pressure, calm coaching, words of wisdom, incentives and idle threats his parents came up with actually had less of an impact, than a simple question we posed in a non-hockey related discussion:

"What are you into lately?" "What do you want to learn more about?"

He replied: HOCKEY. Who knew?

I think he wasn't showing the interest in the game that WE expected. This, by our own definitions (e.g. wanting to watch NHL games, asking to play downstairs or be taken to practice at the rink) NOT HIS!

This past week he selected a Sidney Crosby book from the library and told us he wants to do his grade one class presentation on Hockey. He came off the ice yesterday with the biggest smile ever.

Who knew it was actually my time to learn something, not be teaching it!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Responsibility

I struggle with doing too much and not doing enough.
Trying too hard and not trying hard enough.

How much responsibility and accountability for matters affecting him can we realistically expect our 6 1/2 year old to take?