Rising to the challenge

A couple of months ago,  I had a conversation with my daughter about finishing off her requirements for her Grade 8 piano exam.  She had done the actual playing of songs and technique back in January, but she still had the theory (written component) to do.  Her initial response was that it wasn't that important and she'd do it in the fall (translation:  maybe we could just post-pone that indefinitely), but cirucumstances arose, and it was decided that she should do the exam in August.

Needless to say, doing pages and pages of theory work in July was not her favorite thing to do.  But yesterday when she wrote her exam and felt confident in her answers it was a great opportunity to remind her that she had achieved a great thing.  Being able to say that she had finished grade 12 equivalency in musical accomplishment while having just finished grade 10 in school is something she should be proud of.  It was a great teachable moment, reminding her that on the way to getting something we really want, there are often elements that we would rather by-pass.

You're nodding your head in agreement, I can tell.

Hmmm....so many examples from real life...

I love having a clean bathroom, but it's a chore to clean that tub.
I love feeling more energetic, but the workout sweat I could live without.
I love having kids that are musically talented, but it was a BIG time commitment to have them practise regularly, sometimes having to sacrifice time and money, too.

When I look at the examples I see so many emotions - fear, dread, disappointment at opportunities missed while pursuing our goals.
But there is also pride, and joy, and self-confidence.

Children have so much to learn:  Choosing their own clothes to wear.  Brushing their own teeth.  Learning to tie shoe laces.  Cutting their own food.  Riding a two-wheeled bicycle.  Making their own bed.  Learning to play an instrument.  Solving a difficult math problem.  Taking the bus by themselves for the first time.   Learning to use a new computer program.  All opportunities to grow self-confidence and feel pride in who they are becoming!


Kids may complain...OK,  they probably will complain...but in the end...(down the road, maybe a few years from now) they will be so thankful that Mom or Dad took the time to teach them how, coach them through the challenging emotions, and cheer on their success!

 And in our house,  cheering on success often involves a trip to Dairy Queen : )