Several years ago my children were really into the Fetch with Ruff Ruffman show on PBS. The host, Ruff, would give the contestants “science challenges” to complete. It was always entertaining to watch how the contestants went about completing their challenge. At home we would often complete our own science challenges downloaded from the PBS Kids website http://www.pbs.org/parents/fetch/activities/act/index.html .
One day during that same time period I was pushing my middle
child, who was always very particular about the way everything was done, on the
swing. She kept pointing out what I was
doing wrong, and giving me very detailed instructions on exactly how she wanted
to be pushed. Finally, exasperated, I
said, “If you are going to be difficult I am not going to push you at
all.” She replied, shocked, “But mom, this is your challenge.”
Turns out she was not trying to be difficult, just trying to
make up a challenge for me. Her statement
made me do a reality check…I did choose to be a mom and strive to be a good
one. And nothing we strive for is
without its challenges. Quite often now
when parenting throws its curveballs I try to put on a Ruff Ruffman smile and
remind myself, “This is your challenge.”
