Mommy Advice Needed!!!

I try so hard to encourage my kids and not be that mommy that pushes them.  I don’t want to be the “stage mom” in any activity that they do but I have an issue.  My little lady has tried just about everything….dance, cheerleading at a rec. dept., gymnastics, soccer, piano, voice lessons and now the plays and theater stuff.  She always seems to enjoy herself when she is doing these things but she never feels connected to any of it.  Like I see other kids find an activity that they love and cling to but she has just never really been “in love” with any of the stuff that she has done. 

The problem is that she wants to do something.  She is looking for something that she can commit to.  Her latest kick is that she wants to try twirling but there aren’t any close local places around here that offer that….not that I can find anyway.

So the question for Mommy is, if she has done something recently that I can see that she is really good at and that others praise her for how good she is at it, do I push her to continue or allow her to do like she has in the past.  What she has done in the past is finish out what she started and then just says she is done with it and never looks back.  Should I just sign her up and make her do it or let her make that decision.  Let me remind you that she is closer to 10 years old than 9 but is going on 18 any day now! 

Do your kids get tired of their favorite sports or activities they love?  Do you make them sign up for another season even if their heart isn’t in it?  Do you just hope that once they get started back up, they will love it again?  Help a Mama out please!!! 

But I Love Her!!!

Tegan's all time favorite hobby is to drive his sister bonkers.  Rylee spends most her days at home in her bedroom b/c Tegan is going to aggravate the pee out of her without a doubt.  It must be a boy thing b/c I don't remember doing this at all to any of my older three siblings but I do remember my brother, the youngest of five, doing it to me:) 

He is known to be sitting still watching TV and notice that Rylee isn't paying attention to him, that is when he makes his move.  He will sneak right up with the remote in hand and BAM....knocks the crap out of her.  I can't tell you how many times I have chased him down after he has done something like this to her.  He is a runner for sure!  Poor kid doesn't know that running makes me even more mad!!!

His latest attempt to drive his sister crazy is by invading her bedroom.  You see, ever since that kid could crawl we have had a baby gate up at her door.  I guess that when your mischievous child is over four years old and in the 85th percentile for his height, a baby gate will no longer stop him.  He scales that thing like a cat climbing a tree.  Funny thing is that he doesn't do it while she is in there.  He sits back waiting for her to leave her room.  I mean, the girl has to eventually come out for a bathroom break.  He pounces and grabs every opportunity that he can find.  Then it starts...."GET OUT OF MY ROOM", "MAMA HE WON'T GET OUT", "STOP TOUCHING MY STUFF", etc...  The only response he has is "BUT I LOVE HER AND WANT TO BE WITH HER".  Seriously, how in the world do you argue with that.  I will tell you how....you look at your mom with your big brown eyes and say "DON'T LET HIM BUTTER YOU UP.  JUST GET HIM OUT."  Oh me, I still have many years ahead of me in this department but for now I think it is time to burn the baby gates:)


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