Most of our kids pick a sport or activity to try at some point. They think it looks like fun, or their friends are doing it, so we pony up for the registration fee and go along for the ride.
They like it well enough. Or they don’t. And they move on to the next thing (hopefully after the current season has ended).
But then, sometimes, they find THE thing. So you support them. Because that’s what parents do, right? You go all in, you clear your calendar, you play chauffeur, you open your checkbook, and you hold your breath when they compete. Not because you care if they win the medal or trophy or whatever prize is on the line that day. It’s because you hate to see the disappointment on their little faces when it doesn’t go their way. Even if we all know in our rational brains that disappointment is part of life, that it’s actually the secret sauce that builds character and makes us grow – that doesn’t mean we wish it for our kids.
Inevitably, though, there will sometimes be disappointment (Not this time around – check out the final photo below!). There will be nerves and triumph, too. Often all in one day. There will be adrenaline and long hours in the gym and countless concession-stand meals. One day, you may even find yourself tiptoeing around a hotel room in Schaumburg, IL so as not to upset a tiny cheerleader in Lalaloopsy hair curlers before she takes the floor. Or maybe that’s just me.
But then you’ll sit back in amazement as your kids do their thing, displaying stamina and focus and grace greater than anything you’ve ever had. “Where did THAT come from??”, you’ll wonder. You’ll muse that you must’ve had a great-great-aunt with secret tumbling skills and composure beyond her years. And you will be impressed by the skills, but even more so by the grit.
You’ll feel infinitely grateful for the coaches and teammates and opportunities she has been given. You will be exhausted from shuttling her to all the places. Your head will hurt from trying to process the intricacies of this new sport/community/sub-culture she has entered. Your back will hurt from lugging her gear around a convention center all weekend.
But most of all, you will just look forward to doing it all over again the next weekend. And the next. And the next….
