Pushy Parent

As an educator, I try to mix things up.  Even though I have a certain teaching and learning style, I realize others are different, so I find it helpful to try subjects from multiple perspectives.  I find it's what helps lessons get through.

But as a parent, I only have one way: push push push.

With Jada, the pushing resembles how I respond, since Jada is more like me in her inquisitiveness and ambition.  She likes that I give her hard stuff, because it's hard stuff that stretches her and makes her grow.

Aaron is the opposite.  He's a softie who doesn't like to work hard and is very sensitive to criticism, correction, and failure.  Tough noogies, I say.  He's particularly behind in his reading ability - a couple of short sentences with simple words can take him several minutes to get through - and I've pushed him hard to keep at it, even though it brings him to tears and even when it's late at night and he's starting to get sleepy.

Before you call DHS on me, know that my tough love is working.  His first instinct is to whine and give up, but he now knows I won't let him get away with it, and so he presses on, and when he gets through a word or a sentence or a book, I know he wouldn't have without my prodding.

So I will go on pushing, to the delight of my go-go-go daughter and to the dread of my gooey son.  (It helps that I have Amy to counterbalance me.)