Quitting while you're ahead

Quitting is not the same as quitting while you are ahead.

I have the nasty habit of persisting when I know that taking a break or even stopping is what I really should do. Quitting is just not what I do, a quitter is not who I am. And damit, if my kids are gonna learn anything it's just that... But that is stupid. Knowing when to quit is as important is being persistent.

My persistence is often the root of the problem with violin practice these days. I tell Marguerite (in a very nice tone of voice, I might add), just do this little bit without any mistakes three times in a row, and then we can stop. And more often than not, she gets frustrated and cracks under pressure, which makes everything worse, and of course, she can't do it. Any person with some common sense would say, okay, let's try this another day or even let's do this after dinner. Not me, we are not quitters!

So... we end up being criers, screamers, door slammers.