The picture above is of my son at his most recent Soccer practice. You'll note he's not looking at his ball. This picture makes me laugh because I am told this is exactly what I was like as a child. If everyone was dancing. I was looking up at the ceiling. If everyone was chasing a ball, I was looking at the clouds. In my 5 year-old's case, it seems he likes to look at the grass, even tasting it at Little League last Spring.
It can be hard because I want to yell at him to focus, to pay attention, because life can be hard when you're young and your head is in the clouds. I know from personal experience. But, I also think that as an adult a lot of what made me a tough child makes me an interesting adult. I think that while we discourage creativity in favor of focus in young children we strive for it as adults.
So I'm trying to leave him alone and let him be himself. Although sometimes I do find myself telling him he has to do a better job of paying attention. Like my son, I am a work in progress.
How about all of you? What were you like as children?
