Failure and Next Steps

The children my boys associate with, for better or for worse, are mostly privileged. Most of them have everything they need and want. I am not sure how many of them have actually experienced failure of any kind?!

Not getting into the CW is definitely Hans' first taste of failure. I don't want it to leave a bitter taste in his mouth forever. I am sure it won't. All of us, family and friends, have been working on making it normal for Hans. I think it is important for him or any child to understand that sometimes even after we work hard, we won't reach a goal or achieve what we want! Hopefully, such failures make the boys hungrier and they will work harder than before to reach that next goal.

As a parent, I found it tougher to get past my child's loss. However, I realized that I needed to accept it and move on so I could help my child move on. So, I did. Hans and I discussed next steps. He wants to continue with his piano lessons. Hans may audition again in the near future or at high school level. He is keeping his options open. He may decide to follow in his brother's footsteps and get as far away from Arts as possible. Hans can do whatever he wants to do.

Meanwhile, I did take Hans to the LEGO store. Initially, he wanted to buy the biggest set for his friend K. Once he got to the store, he was a "normal" 8 year old boy. He picked up one set for K and 3 for himself, and we spent about $150. Hans couldn't wait to drop off K's set at his home. I didn't realize that in trying to make my child feel better, I may be making another parent feel uncomfortable. In spite of it, Hans was able to drop off a LEGO set for K as K's mom was super gracious.

Both Hans and K didn't make it to the CW; however, they will build their sets and then, get busy playing with them. Soon, the auditions will be a distant memory. There will be other mountains to climb and other hurdles to cross. Right now though, both the boys are happy and that's all that matters. Everything else can wait.