Standing on my Vintage Soapbox

I would like to say Happy Monday and Welcome!  But the reality is, this morning was brutal - I am missing that hour of sleep!  My guess is you are too!

We had an exciting weekend here.  Our oldest daughter (12) returned to the Ohio Junior Olympics for swimming.  This is a qualifying state swim meet and what she works toward the whole season.  We are so proud of her!  She had a personal best time and that is what we encourage her to achieve.

See her?

What goes into this event?

We travel 21/2 hours, sleep in a hotel room (the whole, happy family).  We eat every meal in a restaurant, hit snooze when the alarm goes off at 5:45 am, drive to the university, sit and wait  an 11/2 for the meet to start, film her race, collect our stuff and remove our sweaty bodies from the natatorium and try to keep busy without going broke until the next morning when we do it all over again.

She was in the pool for a total of 56 seconds.

Why on earth do we and countless other families do this?

For the same reason we do everything else, for our kids.  We support them and their ambitions.  Our daughter loves the sport and has done her personal best every year. She has been to the rodeo the last three years.  How do you not go?
How do you encourage her and when she excels, tell her no?
Some people do.
We do not.

We believe in the power of sports.  We encourage our girls to do and play what they love.  Yes, we may be a bit enthusiastic about our sports, but I believe strongly that kids should be exposed to team sports.  You can learn more life skills on a field than you can in a lot of classrooms.

Playing team sports gives the girls confidence, power, discipline, the ability to work and depend on others.  It develops trust, decision making skills and time management.  As well as countless other lessons.

Our oldest was put in a "swim off" for a spot on the Free Relay team.  She had to swim against her teammate in front of the entire team, HS team and parents.
One of them had to win.
One had to lose.
That's life.

She won that day because she had the mental ability to handle the pressure.  She kept her cool and got it done.  I know that skill will come in handy throughout her life.

And while sports are a measurable activity, I certainly encourage both of my girls to find their passion on and off the field.  Art, music, travel, school, friends and everyday activities play a role in their development.  All of this will guide them as they mature.

Please note, I am not saying you have to be the best kid on the team, the field or in the pool.  But you must try your best.  And just like everything else - you get out what you put in!

You are probably wondering why I am standing on my soapbox - a vintage soapbox of course.

While driving the 21/2 hours home on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I thought about all the stuff we could have been doing at our house.  I thought about the sacrifices we all make as parents.  The time, the missed events or evenings out, the money, oh the time...when I calculated how much this weekend cost (and how little she was in the pool), I cringed.

But I would do it all again!

Travel soccer has already started...here we go!

Make it a great day!

XO-