Once again, Callum falls prey to my capricious whim. It's not all that capricious, really. But I should have paid better heed to his resistance.

This weekend was the preview of "Aesop's Fabulous Fable Factory," the fall play that his school's theater program puts on. It's a sweet show, featuring four or so different fables. Callum is, can you tell? The tortoise in "The Tortoise and the Hare."

He never came out and said point-blank that he didn't want to do it, but all the signs were there. Silence when I brought it up. Lack of unbridled enthusiasm.

I kinda made him anyway.

When we broke it down, he had two specific fears: that he'd be the only 6th grade boy, and that it would be hard to manage the homework on practice days. "Oh, come on!" I reassured him. You can see where this is going. He was right on both counts.

It's such a tricky thing as your children get older, to know when it's right to push and when to give way. So many times in his young life, he wouldn't be doing something if Neel and I hadn't been behind him, giving him a nudge (walking comes to mind). Since starting, he hasn't complained much at all (for our boy, that's pretty good!), but I can tell his heart isn't in it. It's his last chance to take part in the program, and I so wanted it to work out.

But I have to remember that it's not about my own desires for him, but more about what he really needs. I don't regret it necessarily, but I've learned a lesson here. Pay better attention. Listen more.

Still, can you fault this mama for wanting to see her boy on the stage (a place he's long loved) one last time?