The other day our neighbor remarked on how athletic Jo is. And it's true. Though she would, if allowed, happily watch 8 consecutive hours of TV a day, once she does get out and moving, she really does move. The palms of her hands are currently pocked with half a dozen blisters (or "slivers," as she calls them) from her incessant trips back and forth across the monkey bars -- this summer she's become totally adept at swinging from rung to rung, tossing her hips from side to side to gain momentum. She swims fearlessly and tirelessly. Recently, she mastered the hula hoop in less than a week; now she can keep the hoop spinning for two minutes straight, even recovering if it drops below waist level.Opie, too, is as sure-footed as a child his age can be, jumping heart-stoppingly from the benches in our backyard on the brick patio and scampering up all the ladders on our playset without losing his balance.
This is all very foreign to me.
I was the kid who was so scrawny she couldn't stay afloat at swimming lessons. The one whose dance teacher not-so-gently suggested she not return to class. The one who, during gym class softball games, "played" outfield for both teams (way, way outfield) to avoid ever coming up to bat. The quintessential weakling nerd.
I definitely don't know how to raise a jock. But I'd be thrilled to have the opportunity to try.
*
Bonus mommyblogging moment:
JO: Where's Daddy?
ME: Out with some friends.
JO: What's he doing?
ME: Playing a game. It's called poker.
JO: Are we going to watch him on TV?
8 comments:
Ha! You'll have to practice setting your camera to "action" setting to capture those future sports flourishes.
It's a never-ending source of wonder, all those traits that our kids manifest but did not inherit from us. I don't know if my children will be athletic, but if they do it won't be the result of my genetic influence!
That's fantastic, amazing isn't it how separate they can be. I was kindly asked by my tennis coach to find a new hobby. And yet, my girls are powerhouses LOL.
I was the kid who had to lie down and rest between exercises during ballet class. For some reason, my mom only signed me up for that one session, and then never again....
I wouldn't know what to do if Declan was athletic either. Luckily he is as clutzy as I am. :) And the poker comment rocks.
Kyle will love the poker comment (as do I).
I'm trying to encourage the athleticism too. Luckily, Kyle's more of a jock than I ever could hope to be.
My son loves the outdoors...dirt, running, boats, bugs...so very unlike me. I have wondered if he was switched at birth, too.
I have the opposite; I was a competitive swimmer and neither of my sons are real thrilled with the water. On the other hand, the older one loves to draw and I can barely master a stick figure. I loved the dialog at the end of your post1
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