Yes, it's all for the best....




"When you feel sad, or under a curse
Your life is bad, your prospects are worse
Your wife is crying, sighing...
And your olive tree is dying,
Temples are graying, and teeth are decaying
And creditors weighing your purse..."

I'm back to my curse. CHEER! It's January - and I'm worrying about August 2011.

Who makes the decisions? Do I guide my daughter in making a smart choice subtly, force it upon her harshly, or let her make up her own mind and let the chips fall where they may? She's 13 years old. Shouldn't she have a say?

Three years ago we were in the same boat. Do you remember, back when I really was a soccer mom? We went through a very similar conundrum with C in picking soccer leagues. Which organization best fits her (and, let's face it, my) needs. I pushed her and I still believe we made the right choice.

This time, it's cheer. I spent the fall stressed about the BFL coaches and their decisions. But I am concerned about Pop Warner, too.

C's friends are signing up for both, paying fees to both sides and then making decisions later this Spring. BFL hasn't even made a decision about entry requirements, while Pop Warner has open admissions. Do I give C the option to pick BFL, and try to swallow my acidic aftertaste and distrust of the coaches' motives regardless of what her friends do? Or do I force her to do the harder squad in order to teach her principles of boycotting an organization that treated her friends so unfairly this fall?

I guess it comes down to her goals - how far does she want to take this? If she wants to go far, Pop Warner may be better for her needs. If she just wants to have fun with it, BFL might meet her needs more, despite my reservations about coaches that drink with abandon at the girls' end of year party.

"They get the center of the meat, cushions on the seat
Houses on the street where it's sunny..
Summers at the sea, winters warm and free
All of this and we get the rest...
But who is the land for? The sun and the sand for?
You guessed! It's all for the best!"

 What's the best here? With which team are the winters warm and free????? Which team is the best for C's needs? I simply don't know.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New decade new post

It's the new decade and I'm already a little unsure about its start. N bonked his head and we ended up in the ER for a STAPLE. It was pretty inhumane - but much faster than stitches. I am directly dreading when it gets pulled out on Saturday! Then this morning the alarm didn't wake us, not because I didn't set it, but because I didn't check the volume level and of course it was silent. Everyone got to school as close to on time as to not call it tardy, but N needs a few minutes in the morning to get his act together if he is going to finish his morning work on time. I am pretty sure his teacher thinks I am a flake of a Mom who can't get her kid to school on time! Flake or not, I spent most of the weekend with N (I brought him to see my Dad, C stayed here for a birthday party and some quality Daddy time). He had a great weekend, despite the ER visit. N loved that I let him run wild where I never thought I would. In a pinch for some kid fun on a cold day? ...
Read more

Why I'm Voting for Barry Walker

Image
A long time ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away... ... I ran for a School Board. It is not a position to take lightly or to vote for "just anyone".  You've seen the signs... Barry Walker is running a tough, but honest campaign. It's not easy when your main opponent is an incumbent with strong political ties and a tendency to play by his own rules. In fact when I ran against him years ago, he used the Middle School directory to solicit votes. As an attorney and a board member - or even as a parent who can read - he should have known that this was verboten , since a "not for solicitation" clause is printed on all school directories. Misuse discourages families from including their information in the future.  As the saying goes, "it's easier to get forgiveness than permission." Maybe I'm jealous? Since I wrote the elementary school's directory and had every single email on my computer, I was tempted to do the same - it would have take...
Read more

What not to say....

My good friend posted on Facebook yesterday that one of her kids' teachers said, " Ok. You all need to stop talking now. I hate this class already." As of now she has 20 comments. Several comments were negative towards tenure (the program where teachers who have worked for 3 years in their position get a "job for life" and it is nearly impossible to fire them). I certainly understand resentment towards tenure. However, I also understand the comments - several left by teachers - saying that this isn't indicative of how the vast majority of teachers feel or teach. Some, like me, begged her to contact the school (I said she should bring it higher, to the Assistant Superintendent). She said her kid didn't want her to. What would have I done? I would have called. Immediately! It isn't in my nature to wait and see. I'm hot headed and I just can't help myself.  Would that have been in the best interest of my child? Probably not. It would be...
Read more