So, Mom and I talk every morning on the phone. She is in New York. I am in Texas. We have the same kinds of conversations that we’d have if we were next door neighbors. Yesterday, we were talking about kids, and how you can expose them, and show them, and lead them, and set they up for all great things, but that you cannot do the great things for them. You can, and should, let them know the great things are possible, achievable, with hard work, and sometimes, if you are lucky, with less hard work. But in the end, you you cannot play the trumpet, dance the dance, take the test.
Some parents, I think, let themselves off the hook, knowing that they can’t take the test. “Well, little Jimmy will just have to figure it out for himself.” That is ridiculous, when little Jimmy is, well, little. And kids are little longer than they are not, or longer than you think. Some adults are still little. I say, tell him what he is capable of and what is expected. Give him the ball, the book, the paintbrush and no room to back down. Kids don’t know about humps, and even less about getting over them. It is our job to make them reach the hump. Once on the other side, they will be happy we did.
This is all rather general, I know. I have a story, but my daughter wouldn’t want me to tell it. I will say, though, that she is now on the far side of the hump. I have gotten “Thank yous.” She has gotten more.
Pamela Gwyn Kripke 
Love it!
Love you.
Mom
Oh, I hope you write a post about your philosophy for getting them to humps… I have a 7 year old who has it pretty easy. She’s very bright, sails through school, much like I did. I’m bad at pushing her (there is the whining) plus the fact that she just finished chemotherapy 2 years ago. She’s not a brat, but she doesn’t like to do things that aren’t easy. When she was sick, we didn’t make her, and now it’s been hard to switch gears. I sailed through so many things, school included, until I got to college – yikes!!! Study skills, sorry didn’t take that class in high school!! anyway, I’d love some good advice on how to get her to take those 600 years of piano lessons, which by the way, I’m dying to know if you like to play the piano now, or are glad you did the lessons or what… I’m sure you gained something from them, but my Mom had piano lessons for a very brief time and hated them, therefore I never was forced to take them, or even encouraged to… I don’t have much experience in being brought to the humps, and yes, I was an only child, like my daughter is. I was also clever, in college, the first big hump I came to, I quickly figured out that if you have overdue library book, they don’t send your grades home, hmmm, how convenient…. sorry I’m being personal, I hope that’s not against “comment” or “reply” rules I love your writing and I think I could learn from you!! I’m in Texas, too, feel free to use my email listed above if you’d like to communicate with me. Thanks so much, Kelly