Just chill

I'm trying to sort out my kids today.

My eldest daughter got a 'call back' for a musical audition lead which has just put her over the top on the stress scale.

My son has a French Geography test today which has stressed him out too.

Thank goodness my youngest is still her usual sunny self.

But tell me; shouldn't thirteen and ten years old be too young to feel stress?

If I tell my kids to 'chill' a bit about this stuff does it mean I'm going to raise under achievers? Does teaching them how to keep things in perspective mean I'm a bad mother?

I want my kids to succeed but really I'm okay with them not getting a lead in the school play. I want them to do well at school too, but I'm also pretty certain my son is not going to need to know how to describe cold and warm fronts in French in order to succeed in life.

When does challenging kids become too much?

I think a stop at Dairy Queen after school today is in order.

As for me? They're stressing me out because I'm worried about whether or not they're doing okay.

Does Dairy Queen sell red wine?

Comments

[Kath]

I guess a little stress is okay but only if it's small enough that an ice cream can wipe it away.
Red wine - hmmm - I've told one of the wineries near us that I want a drive through window for locals, so I can just stop and pick up my bottle of wine without having to wait behind the hoards of tourists!
I hope your day gets better!
Cheers!

[Mary Lynn]

I stressed about things more as a 10-year-old than I do as an adult. I'm not sure that my mom telling me to calm down would stopped me stressing. I was just a kid who worried about stuff a lot.

I'm calmer now. Coincidentally, I might also be viewed by some as an underachiever. Hmmm....maybe I should have stuck to my worrying ways. :-)

ML

[Oldest daughter]

HEY

where's my ice cream?!

;)

[Christina]

Ice cream solves all stress, even if only temporarily. I don't thing teh sell wine but I bet there is a grocery store near by :)

[Cindy]

Red wine at dairy queen? I could go for a Bailey's blizzard or shake though! :)

[Sherendipity]

I don't think they sell red wine, but I can promise you their strawberry banana smoothies kick some serious butt.
Our kids aren't growing up in the same world that we grew up in. I think it's harder for them.
Teaching them how to keep things in perspective makes you an awesome Mom. =]

[Mom On The Run]

Let me know when they sell red wine - that sounds like a perfect after dinner treat! ice cream for the kiddos - wine for me!

Yes, your kids are too young to be stressed, but its also good that they care about doing well. I like your approach and telling them to just "chill" - they need to learn how to relax too, and sometimes learning how to handle failure is important too - though I hope your daughter got the lead and your son did well on the exam.