A thorn betwixt the roses

Greetings y'all ,

I'm sitting on the front stoop, it's almost 5am . My coffee is hot, black and strong. The air is cool but dense. On either side of me are chirping crickets and the sweet fragrance of rose bushes. I am grateful for this day . I need this day. I need a mulligan from the last day or so 

My lovely but quirky and exuberant an anxious and angry progeny has been railing agonist the world . I have reacted poorly exacerbating the situation. I have picked the rope and tried getting into a tug if war with him. I have not been the proverbial captain of the ship . I give his school full credit and kudos for being that which I espoused he needed while I failed epically . But alas I've been granted another day to regain the wheel and right our course . 

In a role reversal Junior Mint realizes he is not in control in the classroom and has artfully been pushing my buttons. Needless to say after this post I shall mediate more, work out and refocus. As on of the characters in "Westside Story " sang " you gotta stay cool boy" 

This is not me berating me or letting my progeny off the hook for his behavior. This is me reflecting on how I can adapt and better guide my boy. I can reduce his anxiety by staying calm and taking time to refocus. 

This will be a great year for us. I firmly believe that. My child has excellent staff at school now the onus is on me to maintain consistency by being the dad I've been . The onus is also on him to accept personal responsibility for his  words and actions and to believe in his support staff , or coaches as he likes to call them. This will be our year .

I watched him at the pool yesterday and by golly that is one competitive boy. I'm torn though because I was über competitive , as was my dad ( a top notch salesman) and my brother ( a Ph. D and leader in his department and field ) . I just read that Bud Norris ( MLB pitcher ) was chastised in second grade for being too competitive. Steve Jobs? Über competitor ... Donald Trump ? über competitor...Ray Lewis? Über competitor Adam Jones ? über competitor...Michael Phelps? Über competitor ...the list is endless . So how do I handle my youngsters win at all costs and never accept defeat attitude ? Seriously  open to suggestions. 

Ok folks I've rambled enough ( which is code for I need to refill my coffee) 

Have a great day and thanks for reading .