Young perfection

He is leaning over the lined paper, pen clutched tightly between his fingers, and he is concentrated as he asks me what letter is next.

E, I reply. And he begins to write. But suddenly he notices the bottom line of the E is a bit too long for his liking. He is frustrated and makes complaining noises to show his displeasure.

I offer solutions to help solve the problem. It looks good, buddy. Make the other lines longer, too. Use the line in the next letter. You are learning and you are doing such good work. Try again on the next line.

To no avail. He crumbles up the paper as he grumbles. Then throws the paper down. This time, he takes another paper to try again. Next time, later with my hubby, he won’t.

I tell him emphatically that “we don’t give up.” I explain to him calmly that it’s important to keep trying. It doesn’t have to be perfect. He’s doing such great work. He’s 4 1/2.

Am I showing him all these things with my actions? I’ll be more attentive.