Center of my World

It's pretty apparent my boys are the center of my world. I don't, however, want to raise them to believe that they are the center of THE world. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and wondering what other families thought and how they deal with this. Children don't get to be the center of attention at every opportunity nor the apple of everyone's eye. It's a hard distinction but pretty important I think.

I want my kids to be able to function even if they aren't their teacher's favorite. To play alone, entertain themselves, and be a passive observer when called for. They are only 4 and 18 months but for our oldest it seems like it's already been taught somewhat. I try to make sure he gets to speak his mind but we're teaching patience and waiting too. It's so common for kids to want to interrupt immediately and usually when they have nothing in particular to say, just to be involved in the conversation and have the attention of the group turn to them. We give Nolan a chance to say something when he asks to join our conversations but it's important he wait his turn too.

If I think of a kiddo I've heard labelled as a "brat" or "spoiled" it's usually for behaviors related to needing to be the center of attention at all times. I don't want that for my boys.

I play with my boys at every chance but also work hard to make sure they will entertain themselves in their (over) stocked playroom. We have fun and imaginative play but even more creative things happen when left to their own devices. Even the little guy stacks block, runs a car into them, and makes ramps completely content to initiate these activities on his own. He'll go off alone and sit with a bin of toys to explore.

I did some random googling and came across this blog from The Metz Family. I don't really agree with the title but the points in the actual article are pretty good. It's mainly things I'm striving to implement and some end goals we have. I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions (leave a comment!). How do you prepare your children for school and the "real" world where they won't win every game, get to play every sport, or take a turn every time or do you not think it's important?