Friday, March 21, 2008

Exhausting emotions

One of the many things I envy preschoolers for is their freedom to express their feelings without censor. (Well, aside from censor by their parents who put them in time out for screaming!) Happy, sad, tired, excited . . . Cameron expresses it all with passion. No holding back, no worrying about what others will think.

At soccer this morning, Cameron ran and ran and ran, pausing only to give me a thumbs up sign with a goofy grin on his face. Finally, a whistle beckoned the enthusiastic but exhausted team to gather mid-field for further instructions. When the coach (who, according to Cameron, is named "Coach Scotch") gave directions for a drill, Cameron dropped his head into his hands, buckled at the knees, rolled his eyes and gave a loud sigh. When Cameron and another boy collided, Cameron fell to the ground, lifted his arms and legs skyward, then let them drop dramatically. When his team scored a goal, he cheered, fists pumping frenetically above his head and gave his bottom a little victory wiggle.

When I was working, I often fantasized about what it would be like to be able to behave like a preschooler. You know, maybe lay my head down on my desk and heave an exhausted sigh when my boss announces a staff meeting. Or ball my hands into fists and growl menacingly when a patient arrives 15 minutes late. Perhaps run in circles, yipping with delight, upon discovering that someone brought in bagels. It would be exhilirating to have that kind of freedom. But, in all honesty, I just don't think I have the energy for it! Waayyy to many muscles involved in those four-year-old displays of emotion! A sardonic eyebrow raise is about all I can muster most days. And with that . . . I'm off to bed.

3 comments:

Grandma Linda said...

You did such a great job of describing Cameron at the soccer game that I almost felt like I was there.

It should be noted that much later in life you will get to express yourself again with total abandon. I remember my sweet, reserved great-grandmother in her last years would say whatever she thought, yelled "kill him" at the t.v. while watching Big Time Wrestling and even swore a time or two.

Christine said...

What a different world we'd live in... if we could behave like pre-schoolers!

Ninette said...

Oh my goodness, on Thursday, my 8th graders were driving me nuts. So much so, that I wanted to pitch a fit just like you wrote about. Yeah, but I had to be the adult.