Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Of Felted Balls and Swimming Lessons

Today Olivia started a new set of swimming lessons. I know that I only briefly mentioned the lessons so I will catch you up........

She really wanted to take lessons. She has never really done anything with a stranger without me before (what most children experience when they enter pre-school) and she did not fair well when in the middle of her first ever lesson the instructor played a "bubble monster" game. After that we had a few lessons that started in tears. I offered for her to stop taking the lessons but she insisted that she really wanted to. In total there were 10 lessons by the end of them all she ever talked about was her swimming lessons. She LOVED her instructor and was so psyched to take more lessons.

Today she started the new set. She had been warned that there may be a new instructor and said she knew that and that hat was fine, although she would prefer to keep the same one. There was a new instructor and she started the lesson in tears again. It just breaks my heart to see her crying on the pool side. She knows that I would never make her stay in the lesson. She could have walked away anytime but she chose to sit on the edge of the pool crying.

At times like these I start thinking: Am I failing her? Do I need to just push her into uncomfortable situations so she gets desensitised. I know my mother, and most other members of our society, would recommend these things but they just don't sit well with me. In the end after I had spent a great deal of time worrying she was smiling and having a grand old time. I wish that I could just be the strong, self assured parent who never doubts herself but I guess no one is 100% sure of their parenting choices all the time.

On a brighter note I have finished the needle felted ball I was talking about in my last post. It is the first in what will, hopefully, be many such balls. Some of the balls will be intricate and some won't. Here it is, the first needle felted ball for my shop.


I hope you like it as much as I do. Oh and here's a sneak peak at what I will be listing tomorrow. I love this ball.



That is enough talk about my shop for a while. I promise to get back to posts about my regular life now.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love your post! The swimming part caught my eye. I have a blog called http://SquidKid.org and it is all about learning to swim issues.

Also, as far as crafting, ever look at what Alicia is doing at Posie Gets Cozy?

World Wide Alternative said...

Oh I'm a Mumma just like you.
I'm very sensitive & often wonder if I'm doing the right thing by my girls.
I figure we just have to trust them when they say what they want.
I would hate for my kids to be "desensitised". It doesn't work anyway & just causes stress for everybody.
I think you handled it perfectly.

And those balls! Gimmee! Xxx

Anonymous said...

I am glad the swimming lessons are sorting themselves out. It is hard to know what to do in those situations.

My oldest is a sensitive soul too and I used to worry about it. But now I have decided to accept that about her and to be thankful. The world needs more sensitive people!

Anonymous said...

I also meant to say that that little felted ball is simply gorgeous!!!