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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Transparent Tuesday

I really hope you guys had a lot more fun on Labor Day than I did! I must have been in a very literal mood yesterday. I woke up, painted boards for our guest room project then preceded to do 6 hours of yard work in 100+ degree temperatures. Crazy, right?! I'm soooo ready for cooler weather!

Anyway, onto today's transparent topic. It's a little different today in that I want to pose a question to you...

What do you wish your parents did differently when you were little?


John and I have recently been faced with the decision of continuing guitar lessons for Reed. Neither of us are particularly musical but Reed is constantly singing, humming and/or making noise of some sort. We decided to channel this noise-making into something that may prove beneficial for him. Hence, guitar lessons. 

Well, after almost a year of lessons and close to $900 spent, I can proudly (insert sarcasm) report that the child knows how to play Happy Birthday. Oh my! Right?! I'll be fair and tell you he has gained musical knowledge and knows how to play the beginnings of numerous songs, but that's it.

So, is Reed or his teacher to blame for this predicament? 

I told his teacher we were going to stop taking lessons. He gave me the guilt trip  the talk about how he talks to people everyday and when he tells them he teaches guitar lessons for a living he typically hears them say, "Oh, I took lessons when I was little." Then what typically comes next is, "Yeah, I didn't practice and my parents made me quit. Boy, I sure wish they had made me stick with it!"

Well, I'm happy to report that his pep talk worked! Although, not in his favor. We found a new teacher who appears to have an extreme passion for teaching guitar. After just one lesson, Reed is rockin'! He left the lesson and said, "That's the most fun I've ever had at guitar!"

So, at this second in time, it appears we made the right choice but this entire situation has left me wondering what decisions we're making for our kids today that they'll one day look back on and wish we had done differently?!

So, it's your turn...what do you wish your parents had done differently when you were little? Maybe we can use this knowledge to make better decisions today!

In true Transparent Tuesday fashion, please feel free to leave a prayer request. If you're struggling with a difficult decision, I'd love to pray about it for you. Leave me a comment or send me an email: dfrieling1@gmail.com.

6 comments:

Cassie Bustamante said...

i feel like my parents did it all right.... they were so good. i think there are things i need to be doing differently. :)

Whitney @ Drab to Fab Design said...

I think it's good you found a new teacher, rather than take him out of lessons all together. If he's enjoying it and getting better now, I'd let him keep rockin'! In relation to this type of thing, I think the only thing I wish my mom would've done differently is push me to do what I wanted to do, not what my older sisters were doing. I know she was just trying to keep us active, but I never really loved soccer. However, I played for so many years simply because I sort of fell into it. In all my spare time, I was always doing crafts and putting on plays, and I wish my mom would've pushed me to pursue my creativity a little more, if that makes sense. But she was so busy juggling four kids, so I am NOT complaining about her parenting at all! :)

pam {simple details} said...

I love asking this question to friends with older kids. They've said, prayed at bedtime with them when they were older, continued reading to them after they could read on their own, pushed them harder. I can't think of anything my parents could have done differently, they were very supportive with our decisions and expected us to do our best. It sounds like you've found the perfect fit for Reed. And yes, you must be crazy!

Piper said...

I wish my parents had taken me to church and taught me about a relationship with Jesus being the most important thing in my life. We are at a crossroads with our younger son. He is "not that into" sports at all. He has been taking piano for a year, and has done well, but he hates to practice, but loves loves to sing and entertain (us anyway)..... what do we do with him??
On a side note our oldest is all into sports and loves to play the drums. Always has!! He is very musically talented and some days we say we could kick our butts for not pushing him towards music more. We have mentioned to him playing the guitar for a couple years. NO INTEREST....until God got a hold of him at a Mission Trip this past July ....and now with the help of a friend in the Youth Praise band, he has pretty much taught himself to play. Where we as parents lack or feel we messed up along the way, God comes in there and handles the things we can't seem to grasp or those that we overlook! Praying that God will lead us in a direction for the youngest!!

leah said...

I am so glad you have helped him stick with it. I wish my parents would have encouraged me to stay with a few of my activities (piano, and horse riding) and simply found a better instructor. It can make a world of difference!

A room with a view said...

I had an issue while learning to play the piano. A couple of my teachers - one in particular - was very very strict. She was also (apparently) very good and well known as a great teacher. But her "style" did not suit me - scare tactics, comparisons to others who were "better" and so on. My parents did not pull me out until we were moving to a different country. I love playing but have forgotten how to read music and never got back into it seriously. My kids play now and I love to hear them. I switched my kids from somebody who was holding them back to someone with you they are progressing in leaps and bounds. You did right by your son.

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