I have had a quiet pleasant evening with my oldest son. He has been sitting beside me on the sofa, he's on the sofa, I'm on the computer. He has been playing with a ball of clay, sculpting various objects and asking me to identify them and then my opinion of them. He is getting quite good at various creative endeavors. He likes to paint, loves origami, wants to cut and paste and do all sorts of crafts.
He has also been asking me lots of other questions, about my likes and dislikes, my opinions of his various activities. I am careful to be honest and encouraging in my responses. We talk together about various projects he wants to do and ambitions he has. I am encouraging him to do what he wants to do but he seems to look to me for direction and approval.
I realize I see myself in him. I was always looking for direction and approval. I didn't want to stray off the 'party line' as one friend of mine so aptly put it. I was never very self-confident in my own abilities or even my own likes and interests. I don't want that for my son, or any of my other children, I want them doing what they want to do, what makes them happy, regardless what others think. But I am not exactly sure how to go about teaching that...................
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