Pressure

I was at Costco the other day and they had a table set up that offered "Mood and Relaxation" pills.  They were supposed to add more serotonin to your brain to help you feel less stressed and happier.  Ohh a magic pill that makes everything seem better?  Hmm made me think.  And in case you're wondering, yes I tried it, no, I wont be wasting my money anytime soon at Costco to buy them.

So this is my observation for the week.  Full moons have an affect on me, my house, on others.  Yes, I truly believe that the full moon makes us "wolf" out. 
That being said, and not a lot of "oh my goodness" details, I will say, that late last night, I found myself trying to calm down my 6 year old.  Tears and sobs, this poor boy was just crying and it all came gushing out.  Things about his brother and its all his fault why he's choosing to do the wrong things, things about how mommy will get mad if he plays the wrong note during piano practice, or that he really is trying hard to be good and now we can't be an eternal family because we're not making good choices that will allow us to be together.  I hung my head in shame as I realized that I have put too much pressure on my child.  Pressure to do the extra credit homework because the other homework was too easy.  Pressure to practice the piano with both hands because he can play the right hand with eyes closed.  Pressure to learn the extra credit spelling words because "as" and "leg" were way to easy for this kid.  There is pressure to shoot a goal in soccer, to pass to other kids during the soccer games and to run faster to get the ball.  There is pressure to study really hard for the AR test because we've had this book for over a week now and should be done with it.  There is pressure to be a good listener and kind and polite.

So my 6 year had a mental break down and it all came out.  How could I have been so blind to what I was doing?  I knew he had a late night last night, so I was going to let him sleep as late as he could.  But at 7am he was awake, puffy eyes and all, all set and dressed to go because he wants a perfect attendance record.  He got yellow today at school and he was afraid to tell me.  He got in the car all cheery and told me how great the day was.  When I asked him about the reading test, he was "so Sorry" that he only got 4 questions out of 10 and then proceeded to tell me that the mouse on the computer wasn't working so it was hard to click the right answer.  Was he lying to me to justify his score? or was the mouse really not working? 

So here it is, you know how bad of a mother I am.  I apparently have been pushing my child to the point where nothing is good enough for him unless he has all greens on his behavior chart or a 100% on a test or that he's totally bummed that our soccer team didn't win the game.  I didn't know I was fostering this pressure, I was letting him dictate what we did.  But when he slacked, I would make sure he didn't. 
My question to you is, are your kids feeling pressured with school, sports or home life that suddenly you find that things that used to go smooth and suddenly difficult?  What do you do to have less stress at home and for your kids?  Finally, what is the most important thing you want your child to know or focus on?  I was honest and open with you, please do the same for me.