You might have noticed that Owen does his own thing most of the time. It's not to be a brat (although sometimes it seems that way), he just has his own ideas on life. Here here and here are some examples. I'm proud of his gumption.
A few months ago, my kids were practicing for a singing performance with the other children at church. They practiced for weeks and weeks. On the morning of the performance, Owen came up to me and said, "I am not going on the stage today." I ignored him as I dressed him up in a suit and tie. He's always making some sort of proclamation like that for shock value. As I was dressing Oscar, he repeated the same thing, "Mom, I am not going to sing on the stage today." Ok, ok. Whatever, I thought. As soon as he sees everyone going on the stage, he'll join the crowd. No sense in arguing over something that hasn't happened yet.
But sure enough, even when all the kids starting to walk up to the stage, Owen remained calmly in his seat, and repeated confidently,"No, I'm not going up." It wasn't in that whiny tone that kids can sometimes get. It was just a fact. I applauded his individuality. Even as an adult, I find it hard to say no to things I don't want to do. It's so much easier just to go with the crowd and not make a stir. But not to Owen. It's effortless for him. I hope he always continues to be like that. It's inspiring and fascinating. I'm curious to see where it takes him.
A month ago, the same group of kids were asked to sing in church again. This time, for whatever reason, he decided he was ready. Without any doubt in his mind, he walked up on stage and sang his heart out. I was just as proud.
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Bravo, Sharon. We as a society don't give kids the credit they deserve. We need to empower our kids, not force them to do whatever we "think" is right. I just love this post.
ReplyDeleteRead "The Leader in Me":)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theleaderinme.org/
Go you! It's so awesome that you let your kiddo make his own decision - I am sure it was very empowering for him!
ReplyDeleteNice. He sounds very much like the small boy who lives in my home.
ReplyDeleteDoes Owen not remind you of Rob? Love how you handled the singing situation. Great reminder on giving our children the power to make their own choices. Thanks for the insight!
ReplyDeleteI love this post! Bravo to you for celebrating this. As the Mom of a 2 year old who loves to say "no" I am glad to be reminded that there's a difference between defiance and individuality. Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteagratitudejourney.blogspot.com
Love it. That photo suits this post so well.
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog, and it is by far my favorite! You post about such smart and interesting things, and your kids are adorable. You are very lucky!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to move to The bay area and read that you used to live there. Do you have any tips, links, or ideas for things to do there? The things you post about NYC are awesome, so I figured you must know of great things around the bay!