My 11 year old is a dreamer. I love that about him! But so often his dreams are what I would consider unrealistic. Today he told me he wanted us to build a pool in our backyard, by ourselves. What a wonderful idea! He said it was because we lived far from the pools (one is a whole 5 minutes away 
) He thought about the shape, the depth, ladders, and where in the yard he would put it.
What he was unable in his 11 year old mind to consider was the cost, maintenance, and home owner's association rules.
I want to encourage my dreamer - his enthusiasm and creativity astound me! So I didn't say no. I said we'd have to look into the homeowner's thing, and that we'd need to get on the internet and look up cost, and see what the regulations are for in-ground pools. In reality, I know the costs are above what we can afford, and that his dad doesn't have the skills to do this. I guess I wanted to help him figure that out by himself, rather than me just saying "no, we can't afford it" or "no, it's too difficult". But am I leading him on? He beamed as we listened to his ideas and shared his enthusiasm.
) He thought about the shape, the depth, ladders, and where in the yard he would put it.What he was unable in his 11 year old mind to consider was the cost, maintenance, and home owner's association rules.
I want to encourage my dreamer - his enthusiasm and creativity astound me! So I didn't say no. I said we'd have to look into the homeowner's thing, and that we'd need to get on the internet and look up cost, and see what the regulations are for in-ground pools. In reality, I know the costs are above what we can afford, and that his dad doesn't have the skills to do this. I guess I wanted to help him figure that out by himself, rather than me just saying "no, we can't afford it" or "no, it's too difficult". But am I leading him on? He beamed as we listened to his ideas and shared his enthusiasm.
