Team Spirit

“It is a great thing when talent and passion collide!!!!”  My sister-in-law posted this comment on a picture on Facebook of one of my kid’s accomplishments. I have thought about that comment for days and have realized the truth of it. Each of our kids seems to have found what they love and what they excel at.  They never complain about practice.  It’s quite the contrary.  If a practice gets rained out or canceled they are bummed.  I couldn’t imagine keeping them all going if they didn’t want to do an activity. I hear of parents who ride their kids and put all this pressure on them to do a sport, play an instrument or dance.  I don’t know how or why they do it.  It’s just a waste of time and money in my opinion.

I haven't always had my kids in the right activities! When Annie was 4 years old, I put her in a dance class, which was during school.  I ran into the dance teacher and she said she was sorry I took Annie out of dance.  I was like WHAT?  I asked Annie about it and she said she told the teacher she wasn’t taking dance anymore!  She was a dance school drop out all on her own! There was no way I had the energy or time to push my kids in a direction they weren’t interested in.  I just wish Annie would had told me weeks before, so I wouldn’t have continued to pack her dance clothes! Bubba on the other hand, clearly let me know he was dropping out of piano class! 

Dan and I feel like it’s our job to facilitate our kids as they pursue their passions.  All five kids seem to have found what brings joy to their life and thankfully all seem to have the talent as well.  Helping five kids follow their dreams is no small task. I sometimes worry I am going to mess up their future by a bad decision to do or not to do something or by my lack of knowledge. 

I remember years ago when I felt like God assured me that He would sovereignly align me with the right people who would have the skill set to help my kids!  I have held onto that for years and have seen it come to pass!  Like the time, I ran into an old friend in Kmart.  She was inquiring how my tribe of kids was doing.  I told her that my Annie was having some issues and her doctor suggested she get into swimming to help keep her muscles strong.  Lo and behold, my dear friend just happened to be the beginner swim coach at the Beach!  You can’t tell me that wasn’t God ordained!

Bonnie has cheered for ten years now and danced for 13 years!  She has made us proud so many times it’s impossible to count.  If only Dan would stop yelling at her, “Sissy, you’re the prettiest,” which really embarrasses her!  She won the "All-American Cheerleader" award at the UCA camp she attended and was invited to a attend a national convention!   She is organized, dedicated and spends hours choreographing dances and watching YouTubes learning new cheer things!!  She is the Captain of her varsity squad this coming year and I know she will do a great job!

When Bubba started Pop Warner, I was actually afraid!  I had heard stories of crazy parents acting like maniacs and I was very nervous.  I quickly learned that there are some of the most amazing people sitting in those stands who support and show genuine concern for our kids!  Dan coached with some of the most devoted guys who he now considers friends!  They certainly do text a lot of smack talk, especially when Miami is playing their team! :)  It was nice that they could all definitely cheer for the Jaguars (To clarify, the Jax Beach Jaguars who had an undefeated season!!)

Being traumatized by the Dance Mom show, I was REALLY petrified when Maggie decided to pursue being on a company dance team.  With trepidation I eased into being a dance mom and quickly understood that dance teachers are loving and kind and dance moms are the best!  At the studio where Maggie dances, the love, dedication, loyalty and joy that the teachers and parents exhibit have made our experience so wonderful!  I had a moment during the recital practice that blew my mind. I rushed backstage to get a picture of Maggie and her friends in their tap costume. Maggie told me she didn’t have time for a picture because she had to help her friends do a quick change.  I watched Maggie hand her friend a costume and I backed away and didn’t want to stop her from serving her friends.  That blessed me so that teamwork was so evident and that she has learned from her amazing studio!

When Annie joined a swim team, I was again pleasantly surprised with some of the most incredible people who cheered for my girl and looked after her making sure she was where she needed to be for races!  What a blessing since Dan and I were clueless in the midst of the organized swim chaos.  They have loaned me money for heat sheets because we had no clue and had no cash!  At the championships last year, Annie was ranked at the top in a couple races.  

I was talking to a mom on our team who has an older top swimmer. I looked at her heat sheet and she had Annie’s name highlighted and told me she was going to come cheer for Annie! That is no small thing at championships when you have to fight a massive crowd to get near the pool.  I was feeling sick with nerves as the race was getting ready to start and she squatted with me at the end of the pool and asked me if I was OK.  She stayed by me the whole time for support.  I was so grateful being a novice in a chlorine world!  She may have just been there to pull me out of the pool if I passed out!  Either way it touched my heart!

Eddie has finally joined the rotation of Wog activities!  He played flag football last year and was only slightly interested in football but VERY interested in the concession stand!  I kept reminding him to go back by his team!   We decided to try soccer and were hoping that he would show some interest!  Soccer was Dan’s sport in high school.  He played all sports but loved soccer the most and played on a Men's league up until we had children. Eddie had some physical challenges from walking up on his tiptoes.  He was in physical therapy for a year and also wore leg braces day and night.  Honestly as much as it broke my heart watching him try to climb and run with those braces on his legs that forced him to stay flat-footed, Eddie didn’t seem to mind.  Dan called me on the way home from his first soccer practice and told me that he thought we had a soccer player on our hands after watching him run like the wind up and down the

field.  I was so happy and somewhat relieved.  I really worried that Eddie being the baby of the family and constantly dragged around to his siblings activities, would get lost in the shuffle.  I feared he would never find his own thing that he could take pride in! Eddie’s soccer coach was awesome!  He has told us that he is so lucky to have Eddie on the team!  The coach said how much he looks forward to watching him grow up because he knew he would be an outstanding athlete!  How nice is that??  I am thinking those leg braces may have been a blessing in disguise…Run Eddie Run!!

One of the most surprising things out of being involved with so many extracurriculars is the amazing people that we have met. Coaches and teaches have gone above and beyond to invest in our children! The time and effort they put in is astounding!  With the vast amount of time you spend at games, swim meets and at dance rehearsals, you are bound to bond with people whether you want to or not.  It has been so surprising how much kindness and team spirit that is developed amongst the parents!  I know that I could not keep up with all five kid’s activities if it wasn’t for family and friends who help manage and run the kids from here to there for me!  We have so many time conflicts in our schedule with things overlapping.  Dan and I couldn’t possibly handle everything alone.  I am so grateful for the help, support, love and care that we receive!

Before I had children, I would watch my sisters running off to soccer games on weekends and going to tons of dance rehearsals.  The time and effort they put in just blew my mind.  I remember dreading that stage with my kids.  What I have discovered is the joy and pride you feel when your child does something amazing!  There is nothing better than when they score, win or perform well!  So for all of you future moms or moms with babies, get excited and look forward to the incredible team spirit that I have experienced! Yes you will be exhausted, stressed, broken hearted when they fail but it’s one of the most fulfilling part of my life watching when talent and passion collide!! Go Team!