too much love?

Do I love him too much? Too intensely? Sure, I get mad at him...quite often actually, but I cannot bear to see him hurt. I wanted to cry at this picture. This was several months ago at his first pinewood derby. He SO wished his car would win...it just wasn't fast enough. He wasn't the slowest, but awfully close. It really doesn't matter to me if he wins this silly race, but it matters to him, so...He was actually quite cute about it and didn't dwell...a trait I hope he keeps. It's how you play the game that counts, right? We had a pack meeting the other night, and all the wolves got to show a magic trick. A magic trick that he practiced 50 times. A magic trick that he had perfected. When he got up to do it, I could tell he was nervous. He was silly, and that means nervous. The trick didn't work. He giggled and sat down, but I knew he was concerned. Several of us told him to try again. His scout leader tied the slip knot...it wouldn't slip. This time when he sat down, he did his real tight blink, which means tears are on the way. I couldn't handle it. Dave and I called him back, told him it was OK, fixed the knot and sent him trying...one more time. It worked, kindof. Everyone cheered. I watched him, concerned that he was still sad, but within a few seconds he was laughing with his friends. Whew. I was SO very proud of him for getting back on that horse, and I've told him that several times since. I could have swallowed him up in a huge hug that night. I wanted to just envelop him and take his fears and worries on myself. But I can't. There's the rub. I have to learn to let him experience and feel. He can lean on me when he needs to.