I Think I Can ... Until I Have To

Archery.  That is all EM could talk about.  She couldn't wait to try it.  We had been listening to the Chronicles of Narnia, plus had watched the movies.  She wanted to be like Susan.

Leading up to our vacation, at a camp in Canada, EM talked about trying archery.  She had seen a picture, from the same camp, of her brother shooting a bow and arrow, and knew she would also have a chance.

One afternoon, at the beginning of our vacation, EM asked, again, if they would be offering archery as an activity.  "Do they still have the archery stuff?"  "Where do they have the archery?"  "I can't wait to try archery, just like Susan."

Lo, and behold, the next day they announced that archery would be offered at 2:00, that afternoon.

EM said, "No".  She didn't want to try archery.  She would skip it.  Maybe next time.

All I've heard from this child is her talk about archery.

Now, all I'm hearing is, "No, no and no."

And, as I dragged her up the hill, to the archery field, all I heard was, "Mom, you are mean.  You love mean.  you are mean."  Because I was making her do something she had talked non-stop about, up until the time they announced the actual activity.

So now, this story can take two different paths.  How being a mean parent does pay off, if you can stand the whining.   Or, how did my daughter become so afraid of trying new activities?

We shall save the former for another time.  For now, please, those who have dealt with Cautious Carla's, how do I inject a little (or a whole lot of) confidence into my daughter.  Granted, I want her to weigh the pros and cons of a situation, analyze it so she can learn the most from it, but not to the point that she is too paralyzed to try a new activity.  This appears to be the issue.

So, I drag her up the hill to archery, twice.  The first session ended early, and not everyone had a turn; so, they offered a second session that evening.  It was during that second trip up the hill that I was told of the extend of my meanness. 

Once arriving to the field she held back, as long as possible.  Her chances of participating were fairly strong this time around, since her mother :::ahem::: practically ripped a bow out of some poor child's hand after the first round of kids took their turn. 

After that first shot, it was hard for her to put down the bow.  She enjoyed it so much, she closed down the activity.