Dealing with Failure

Posted by Jamie McIntosh Jan 5, 2009

My two older sons have reached a turning point in their interests and maturity. They would rather watch Nova than Sesame Street, and their number one request on my twins’ Christmas wish list was a chemistry set. Santa brought them the novice variety, one that would allow them to make fun potions without risking an explosion. However, on day 18 of our Christmas break, I was ready to conduct any experiment to occupy this motley crew, risk of chemical burns notwithstanding.

We chose a seemingly harmless project: making a super bouncy ball from a packet of bright green plastic polymer granules. As I was reading the instructions, my exuberant 5-year-old exclaimed that he was going to open it, and before my lips could form a response, he tore the packet open.

The resulting explosion wasn’t dangerous or harmful in any way, if you don’t mind a myriad of lime green polymers the size of grits coating a quadrant of your kitchen. My other 5-year-old sat stunned, his head covered in vivid tidbits like an ice cream cone covered in sprinkles.

My anger was tempered by memories of garden mistakes resulting from impatience and excitement. Tender seedlings set out without hardening off, scorched by the sun. Young transplants burned by excessive fertilizers. After a long winter, we can’t wait to see what our gardening endeavors will produce. Watching the earth for the first green sprout is like the proverbial watched pot failing to boil, and I wish all my fellow gardeners serenity and self-control during these long weeks of winter.