I was up at 5:30 am this morning. A Sunday morning after a rough week, and I can assure you I wanted to stay in bed for HOURS.
One of the biggest challenges we have had as a military family with quite a few kids (four, although that doesn't really raise any eyebrows in the military world) is finding sports for our children to participate in.
My ideas about athletics aren't everyone's; but I do believe that it is of vital importance to find a sport for my kids to make "their own." Something they are comfortable doing, and even if they aren't the best at it, they aren't the worst, either. Something they can get out and exercise at on a regular basis, and something that will foster team feelings with other kids their age. Because I have so many kids, we limit them to one particular sport each.
My eldest daughter was easy – from the beginning she was a soccer fiend. She watched soccer on TV, she had two Brandi Chastain posters and one of Mia Hamm. Every time we moved, she did the research herself so that she could find a team she felt comfortable in. The problem was that sometimes we moved in the middle of soccer season, or right before soccer season but after sign ups closed.
Keeping my daughter involved in her sport of choice became more difficult the older she got. We had to deal with varsity and junior varsity, try outs and recruiters, and (as always) moving mid-season. I spent a lot of time throwing myself on the mercy of various officials. It was tough.
My second daughter has an entirely different issue. She is about as non-athletic as a person can get. She's very smart, she loves to read, and she is very interested in cooking. But cooking and reading will not keep your body in shape, so finding something for her to do that we could also fit into our somewhat chaotic lifestyle was a challenge.
The answer was the reason I was up at 5:30 am on a Sunday morning. My #2 daughter – who can't walk down the street without tripping, is a swimmer. She has been for about two years now, and it's been great for her. Practices at her non-intensive level are three times a week, plus meets on some weekends (like this one). She's improved incredibly, she's gotten into shape, and most of all she's developed confidence in her body that she never had before.
Being forced to walk around for hours in a bathing suit that doesn't hide a thing will do that to a person.
Best of all, even though we aren't at a base at the moment, we found a year-round civilian swim team that has been tremendously supportive of our unique issues and the inevitable flakiness that the lifestyle creates. An added bonus is that my daughter "sweats" chlorine now, and so we haven't had the stinky issues we did with daughter #1 after a long day of games.
Daughter #3 will be picking up swim team next school year. We aren't sure if it will be "her" sport, but since she'll only be 9 years old she still has a few years to decide. And my son… well, the boy with the Mohawk is fascinated with the water polo team that practices at the same time as #2's swim team. I kind of like that idea – chlorine sweat really is much easier on my nose!
I'd love to hear from other parents who have had to tackle this issue with their children. What sports? And how do you keep your kids involved even when life intervenes?
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Been through it all.
With only two kids we didn't limit to one sport.
My son did the typical t-ball, soccer, basketball, baseball and swim team. For years we thought basketball was his sport. The steady 4" a year growth lead to a 6' 13 year old,(I think he is done at 6'4") but when we moved overseas, swimming is a winter sport. He had to choose. Got his Varsity letter as a freshman in swimming. Unfortunately, when we got back to the states, there was no swim team and it had been 3 years away from basketball. He rediscovered bowling! Loves the individual challenge and has a 150 average!
My daughter did all the above and was a dancer. Most of her energy focussed on dance, and by 10 that was her only sport (haha- ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and then pointe). She also had the incredible growth, and was also 6' by 13. Dance is an impact sport, and the rapid growth caused severe knee problems. When we moved overseas, she dropped all dance and decided to join "crew", the rowing team! I thought it would be great for strengthening her knee, but she couldn't do the running for land training, and the indoor rowing machine gave her motionsickness. So this year was back to swimming. The other advantage was a nice warm indoor pool vs, in the dark, in the cold, out on the river!
That's my crazy roller coaster ride of children's sports.
I loved every minute, every practice, and every game, meet, recital or regatta. through sun, wind, rain, snow sleet and lightning I was there cheering loudly (to the extreme embarassment of my teens!)
We are the same with only two kids we have been able to let the kids do more than one.
The boy decided dance so far is his thing. He does tap, jazz, and hip hop. He plays the guitar, a lesson every week. He does karate and swimming.
The girl is playing the piano, a lesson once week. She is taking swimming lessons too. She takes a Tumbling class and is on a cheer team.
Yes, I know it is alot but they love it and that makes me happy.
Just gotta ask what is it with the mohawk craze. It is running through our church, too.
Sports, I'd be thrilled if they just wanted to try. We have done soccer, baseball. Swimming might be something we should try, after the lessons of course! 8)
Daughter #1 is the sort of kid that needs to be pushed a little. After a year of listening to her talk about dance, I finally just signed her up. The first evening, I dropped her off and drove away. I didn't give her a chance to waffle. After the 2nd session, she was hooked. Her favs are ballet and jazz.
Daughter #2 is into soccer. She could care less about watching any other team play really. She wants to play. We go from 2 sessions of indoor over the winter and spring, a break for summer (where she takes weeklong training camps), and then a longer outdoor season in the fall. This year she wants to try going select (versus the rec teams she's involved in now).
We were never able to really get them into anything before. They were too young, and we moved too often. It wasn't until DH retired and we settled down, somewhat at least since he keeps going back as a contractor, that we were able to do this. It still gets crazy sometimes, but its very worth it. I love to see them having so much fun and taking pride in what they do.
Great post! I too have a daughter who wants to cook, and she also wants to paint. She is nine and love Paula Dean and painting on canvas. I have just decided to allow her sport. We have tried her in gymnastics, cheer and the power-tumbling because she has not progressed in three years a the same gym, and she just isn't having any fun anymore. So she is going to try what her oldest sister is into.
Her oldest sister did gymnastics for three years and decided last summer she didn't want to do it any more. She finished out with her gymnastics recital and moved on to horseback riding lessons. Which resulted in us leasing a horse. It's a great situation. The horse gets taken care of, we have access to it when ever we want, only go out 5x a week (we average 6 because it's hard to stay away) and at anytime we have to we can end the lease. It's a win win. Now we're looking to buy our own. I have gotten into it, my younger two have also and I like to call the horse we lease my "Deployment Therapy Horse". Between the girls and the horse I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. The stall wont muck itself :P.
Now my ten year old is my dancing superstar. She tried gymnastics for a year and when they opened a dance class we put her in. She danced a long time ago at Fort Irwin's little studio. I have to say that putting her in dance was the best thing we could have done. She's been doing it two years and will already have her first solo. She's amazing at tap! And no she does not get it from me or her dad… LOL! However for the past few months she's been saying she doesn't want to go to dance anymore. This is because of the poor management at the place she goes. So instead of taking her out we're going to find a more professionally ran establishment. Sometimes that's the problem and not the actual "sport" itself.
Basically I make my girls stick with something for a full school year. If they don't like it after that "season" then it's fine they can quit but it better be because it was seriously not a fit. Not because they just want to quit it. The summer is a good time to try things out. It's a shorter "season" and you wont be out too much money if they don't like it.
This summer all three will take swimming on top of their other activities.
I am not a "sports" parent. I've never believed that every child should be involved in some sort of sport. However, I do think they should have an "activity". My oldest son is into Cub Scouts. My youngest son is into Dance (hip hop) and Soccer.
If they wanted to take painting lessons or music instead I would ok with that because it exercises their brain and I think that is just as important as exercising their body.
Right now we are on a "deployment break" from activities. With four as well, just getting everyone to and from school is an accomplishment. They are all involved in Girl Scouts and I'm looking forward to summer when swim team starts – it is our whole life for two months. I feel slightly guilty for not pushing the sports this season but I felt we all needed the break. Had someone come to me begging to play a sport, I would have signed them up in an instant, but no one has asked.