What if your kid was “discovered”?

My 14 year old daughter has been ‘discovered’ by a modeling agency and of course, wants to do it. The irony is that I am a child development professional, feminist and educator who teaches primarily parent and family education, but also about media representations of women, and has counseled women with eating disorders for many years (I have a graduate degree in nutrition). I have very mixed feelings about this whole thing…

ModelMom

We all want to support and encourage our kids in their areas of interests – but what if they have a special “gift”, talent, aptitude, or passion that “gets their motor running?  What if it requires “something extra” from parents?  What if we have mixed feelings or nagging doubts?

Parenthood survival tool

For many parents, coffee can be a pleasure, an addiction, or a minor obsession. If you have several types of coffee makers and have packed “special equipment” and some grinds on trips to make sure you could have a decent cup of coffee on the road, then you know what I mean.

I’m sitting here sipping a really good cup of Sumatra brewed with a new gizmo – the Aeropress – invented by the guy responsible for the Aerobee flying disc. It’s basically a plastic plunger that works like an manual espresso machine – forcing hot water through finely ground coffee – to make a rich brew directly into a cup. It is simple, quick, and easy. The setup is also portable, so you can easily pack it with you on trips. Of course, my wife made some remark about all of the other coffee makers occupying space, but this one is here to stay!

Earth and Sky

When I try to describe our kids, it is easy to resort to the obvious – K1 is quick and full of energy and ideas; he embraces new experiences and is warms up quickly with others. K2 is more deliberate and cautious, and enjoys exploring the depths of the familiar, whether it be food, objects, or people. Both bring us joy and light – just in different forms!

K1 is a comet, burning fast and bright as he streaks across the sky. There are occasional “flameouts”, but he is never dark for long.  K2 is a river of fire that glows in the night, moving things along with him slowly and steadily. Not clinking a’a, but a deliberate pahoehoe, which can hide currents of hot lava beneath a smooth, cool surface.

Ctrl-Alt-Del

Last night while doing homework that was particularly frustrating, K2 said “Dad I need to reboot”. So I tickled him for a few minutes, and after he gasped “OK, OK”, his operating system was ready to go again. This works for K1 as well, especially when he is tired and falling apart. A planned system reboot is better than waiting for a crash.

Still kids

At ages 8 and “almost 10″, there are almost daily hints of the times ahead. K1 challenging and pushing mom (“you don’t see it as badgering, but I do!”); K2 insisting that we don’t call his cut an “owie” or “booboo” or insisiting that he can do it himself. But vestiges of “kid” still remain. I catch K1 skipping across a parking lot after getting out of the car, still kissing me goodnight on the lips, and goading me into tickling him. K2 snuggles with me under a blanket to hear a story, and wraps his legs around me when I pick him up.  Both run with glee to find easter eggs filled with treats. There are times that I worry about them being “less mature” than their peers – that they are not “grown up” enough.  But would I be willing to trade away their childhood?