Sometimes in life, the going is not, well, always easy. I guess there is truth to that verse in that
Billy Ocean song "when the going gets tough the tough gets going", or something like that. Anyway . . . for my oldest sweet girl, this lesson has been a hard little pill to swallow. Emma-Caroline has always been a quick study. Failure is not an acquaintance she has ever met, until recently when she entered the game of basketball.
Now I am not saying my girl got out there on the basketball court and totally bombed. She did, however, find that she was challenged, and that's always a good thing in my book. Emma-Caroline is very analytical as well as systematic. She can visualize anything in her mind, assemble it and execute it almost perfectly every time. In reading and fine motor activities, Emma-Caroline never has had a problem. She excels in all academic subjects, art and could take a computer apart and put it back together again with great ease. In sports, however, Emma-Caroline quickly gets the game, but her gross motor abilities don't always want to cooperate.
I will again say, she is not a clumsy lump as she plays any sport, but muscle memory takes much more time and patience on her part than she is sometimes willing to give.This has been true with all of the sports she has played from soccer to tennis to basketball. Each of her coaches has said that she knows the game and strategy very well, but she needs practice with getting her body to do what her mind knows it should do.This is where the life lessons come in to play. Midway into basketball this season, Emma-Caroline was ready to throw in the towel.
We have had battles of wills in getting her out for practice and game days, reminding her of other sports that she loves, like tennis, where she now is excelling because she has practiced it over and over again.
As the season with the Lady Hair Bows has progressed, Emma-Caroline has improved. Her wonderful coaches, Coach Bowman and Coach Sykes have taught her a lot of valuable skills in playing on a team as well has having perseverance and team spirit. They have encouraged her and cheered her on and we are very blessed that Emma-Caroline has had this opportunity to play basketball with all of her friends.
Today is the last set of basketball games that Emma-Caroline will play as a Lady Hair Bow. Through her participation, she has learned that in life, things don't always come easy, but that with determination, patience and practice, you can achieve your goal and actually have fun in the process.
2 comments:
What a sweetheart she is! Max has had very similar experiences in most sports. He will hang in there and keep a positive outlook, but sports do not come easily to him, which is tough since so many other things do come so easily. I think there are some great lessons to be learned there, and that it is always worthwhile to try and be better at things that are outside of your comfort zone. Proud of her for sticking it out! :)
Congratulations - Emma-Caroline - there are so many sports to be involved in, and we cannot always excel in everyone of them, but we can ALWAYS be GOOD SPORTS in ALL of them. That is the important thing to remember! And, also, remember to have fun! When they say "play ball" - that's what it really means - PLAY! And, play should be fun, right! You can be proud for doing your best, and I think you know that - judging from that big smile on your face! Also, remember that there are other sports that you are exceptional at - swimming for instance! Congratulations - my sweet little granddaughter! I love you very much!!!
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