Friday September 16: Its only going to get harder

I'm glad its Friday.  The boys need a weekend, badly.

At the pick-up today, Seth got in the wagon and I could tell he was cranky, angry and upset.  All at once.

The reason?  He'd lost at hockey and was devastated that his team wasn't the "champion", then someone had hit him before lunch.  But it was more the big hockey loss that have filled with anger, at himself.

And it is heartbreaking to see  your 5 year old angry at himself.

I did my best.  I told him that everyone loses sometimes, no matter how hard they try (remember how Daddy and the Red Team lost the election even though they did everything they could - political bloggers might differ on that one, but still).  I told him that what matters is what you do after you lose, that you try again the next time.  I encouraged him to take deep yoga breathes.

How do encourage your child to be competitive but not be devastated when they lose?  And how do you encourage them to keep trying things, even if they might fail, what's the balance between making failure part of success without saying its ok.

All of this has made me more appreciative of all the small and still simple moments with him and Avery.

And worry how much longer I'll have them.

• Snuggling in bed in the morning;  
• Watching they play with animals; 
• Reading books together. 
• The sheer joy that simple things (throws, silly dances, pants on head, Daddy's songs can bring).

Today I am: 

• Glad I went to Bikram yoga; 
• Enjoying having the house and the boys to myself with R in NYC.