As I have mentioned, Jo is a bit of a dilettante. Like most kids, she's a sucker for anything new. Last Christmas, she got a finger loom which she loooooovvved for about two weeks (and even that was a very long run) and has since almost completely ignored. She'll beg for a toy or a game or a book with the tenacity of an e-mail spam overlord and then blow it off almost as quickly as she receives it. She's taken a incredible range of extracurricular classes, from music to art to tumbling to (most recently) ice skating, but the only one she's stuck with consistently is swimming.
Her most recent prized possession was a toy sewing machine we picked up at TJ Maxx for $12. It's pink and plastic but it really works. So for a few days Jo was a busy busy seamstress (mostly just making seams with no practical purpose). And after that, of course, the little machine sat and gathered dust.
What I wonder is how much of this is my own doing. See, the sewing machine--like many other hobbies she might try/stick with--requires intervention from me: helping her thread the needle, find fabrics to work with, follow instructions, etc. And you know, there is a reason why I don't own a sewing machine myself. I am just not interested! So if Jo asks me to help her, I will; but I'm not going to go out of my way and say "Psst! Hey kid! Wanna sew?"
So I don't think I am actually suppressing my child's interests. The question is whether I am doing enough to encourage them. I like to think I am allowing her passions to shine through (she is only six, after all!). But as we've established, I'm pretty good at rationalizing.
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4 comments:
Are you kidding me? You are awesome!
I wish my parents were as eager to let me try all sorts of new stuff. Like every good Asian, I had piano lessons and school... and I wasn't very good about either :-P
She is six. She'll be trying new (and old) things for a long time. It's great that you're willing to let her try them and not get hung up on if she likes them or not. She is six.
Not being a seamstress myself, I'd probably suck it up to encourage it only so I could make her the one who does all the hemming and button-sewing and the like when my husband ain't around. (You think she might also be interested in ironing?)
I prefer the things that I don't have to help with so much, especially since the baby was born. I do feel guilty saying I can't help all the time though. At least you're willing and able to help if she asks!
It's cool that you give her lots of different activities to try! Growing up, piano was the constant, but my other activity changed from year to year. Baton twirling (really), ice skating, skiing, all kinds of stuff. Sewing didn't come along until I was out of college and had to have a ballgown for dance shows and didn't have money to have one made for me! Jo is way ahead.
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