Late Start

     Today is a late start day for middle school.   It's too bad they can't start at 10:45 every day, because my child is a much more sociable human being at this hour.  On the drive to school today, we were discussing his "review of literature" that's due in honors science tomorrow.
     "So, have you started writing it yet?"
     "Uh, no."
      "Where are the rest of your notes?  You're not going to get three pages out of that."
     "I haven't finished researching yet."
Ah, yeah.  Well....is this poor parenting that I'm letting him fall flat on his face?
Maybe.
    "So, what can we do differently next time?  Do you think working out a time-line when the project is assigned would help?"
    "Yeah.  Maybe.  I'm just not any good at researching."
    "That's not true!  What about Nils?  That mythology assignment?"
    "BUT I had like, fifteen sources for that!"
    "That you found yourself.  You researched  all those Norse gods and monsters because you were interested in them.  You found something that drove you to do it, and you did it well."
    "But,...."
    "No buts.  You did the same thing with your hero report.  Einstein?"
    *Kid smiles sheepishly, looking a little pink around the ears.*
    "No baby, it's not the skills you lack but motivation.  You didn't pick a topic that drives you...and that's okay.    Let's just get through it.  You don't have to be in honors science again next year if you don't want to."
    *Kid's eyebrows hit ceiling*
    "But if you do want to, because you like doing experiments, you're going to have to learn to do the research too.  If you really don't like scientific research, then you don't have to be a scientist, because research is the core of what science is."
     "Yeah, I know."  Eye rolll...and was that a sigh of relief?  He feels a lot of pressure to do well in science because there are a lot of science oriented people in our family.  His grandparents run labs and teach science on the university level.  I was pursuing a science related degree when I met his father.  His dad has an engineering degree.   Sometimes he needs a reminder it's okay just to be who he is, and to excel because he can and wants to, not because anyone expects him to.     I'm pretty sure that's what Einstein would tell him.