Assuming wants

Tonight, the kids and I went to an Earth Day fair at the local high school. There were all kinds of green groups, green activities and green products for sale or give away. Much of the town greenies, hippies, lefties and that ilk were there. So were many others. There was TV crew from the local news cable channel there. Part of the crew included the very made-up reporter.

The kids and I were relocated three times from various tables because of the camera crew. The last usurpation was very hard on my son. On the table (a foosball table incognito). was a Lego display. Actually a scientific model of potential wind-powered vehicles demonstrated with Legos. A team of 4 or 5 kids (including one girl) between ages 12 and 14, built this through a Lego League. When I could not find my son after he completed a craft this is where I found him.

He loves to construct things and is very intrigued by machines and gadgets of any kind. My partner's father was an engineer and maybe this is where the kid gets it. He was very upset he had to vacate the table for the camera crew. He said several times, "They don't like it like I do!" Poor kid. We waited 10 minutes for the camera crew to finish to my son's great impatience.

When the crew moved on to claim other tables, my son returned joyfully to the table. The Lego kids were kind to him explaining how many parts worked. My son idolized them, as witnessed by his quiet intake of each word and action.

On the way home. he said he wants to make the best Lego demonstration in the world. I told him I could look for a Junior Lego League but he became enraged, saying he did not want to work with anyone. I tried explaining that the demonstration we just saw was the result of teamwork and that was the point of a league. He wanted nothing to do with it. He insisted others would mess up his work. He remained angry with me the rest of the evening. He was insulted.

It is not always easy to gage others including our children. I delighted in my son's interest and so inquired about the league. He was angry, I think, that I would suggest he needed any help implementing his ideas. There is a lesson here for me: not to assume I know what my kids need.

I am not at all satisfied with the evening's outcome regarding my son. This post also did not turn out as I wanted. But we don't always get what we want. Me included.