With a cherry on top

In my post last week I wondered whether I overstepped my mommy rights by signing Sam up for Brain Balance. I was unsure if it was my place to decide that he needed some improving. Since then I have been thinking about this non-stop (obsessively, actually!) and have decided that my job is to provide Sam with every tool available to ensure he has the best life possible. Brain Balance is our newest tool.

Brain Balance claims that kids in the program’s motor skills, eye hand coordination and academic performance will improve. What parent can say no to that? We all want to do whatever we can to provide an advantage - or at least remove the disadvantage - for our child. Whether you “red card” your son with a September birthday so that he’s the oldest in his class, or hire a tutor, or send her to soccer camp in the off-season or take him to Brain Balance - all level the playing field and may even give your child the upper hand. And in my book, this is a good thing.

Within two weeks of starting the program, Sam morphed into a happy, more confident kid. He is now peppier, more outgoing, smilier, funnier, more connected and chattier. He seems semi-comfortable in his own skin. Did all this happen because he has more control over his body? because he is getting loads of attention from me and the staff? because he thinks the exercises are kind of fun? I have no clue and I guess it doesn’t really matter. Getting Sam to feel good about himself has been the primary goal since the moment I knew he was in my belly. Finally he’s catching on to the fact that he’s one of the coolest boys around. It really could make me cry.

So now that we have a happy, more confident boy is it ok that I hope this translates into a less shy Sam with an increased number of friends? No, no, no. This is where I cross the line into pushy and controlling mom. It’s not my place to tell him to be a social butterfly. He’s allowed to have a couple of good friends to play video games with. It’s fine for him to be the shy guy who likes to be alone. What’s not ok is feeling stuck. Or holding back because he has a skewed perception of himself. Brain Balance is providing him with the power to choose who he becomes.

Back to the debate. Was it ok to sign Sam up for a program that made this happen?  Absolutely; giving him access to the best life possible fits right into the rules listed in the mommy handbook. No doubt about it.

Does any of this mean that I didn’t like the old Sam? No way. But I like the new and improved one even more. Just because I flip over a warm and gooey sundae doesn’t mean that a single scoop isn’t pretty awesome too. But who can say no to caramel and cookie crunchies?