Have you ever been humbled? Of course you have. It's what makes are humanity easier to live with. Have you ever been humbled by someone younger than you and related to you? This week I was - twice!
Aidan is on swim team. This is his third year. In swimming you're divided according to age groups. Aidan is ten so he swims 9-10 boys. He'll be 11 in July. Last year, of course, he swam 9-10 boys. This year his coach thought he was 11 so she placed him with the 11-12 boys. During our first meet I was a mildly perturbed that the coach had him (my little 10 year old) swimming with 11, 12, almost 13 year old. I said something to Aidan after the meet. I explained, "If you swam in 9-10 you would smoke your competition and win that elusive blue ribbon! Don't you want to move down to 9-10?" His response slapped me down a few notches, "No mom, I like to be challenged and I really don't care if I win. If I swim with kids older than me I'll swim harder, regardless of winning or losing I want to be challenged."
Whoa!!!!
This morning we had our 4-H project exhibitions. All the kids (sans Liam) had projects due. Emma, my most ambitious, had 3 - visual arts (computer), digital photography and international cooking. During the project exhibits you need to refer to you 4-H handbook to know how to present your projects. If they do not follow the guidelines you will be marked down. We lost our handbook.
Aidan did food heritage last year and this year so I assumed the guidelines for his cooking would be the same for Emma's. Wrong. She needed to present an entire menu from another culture. Instead she made dessert from the Czech Republic - delicious chocolate-nut bars. Because she didn't follow the guidelines she only received a red ribbon. I was disappointed. And I voiced my disappointment. Emma shook it off and said, "there's always next year." No regrets, no tears, no tantrums, just a good lesson learned.
God has placed these chillens in my life to teach me so many things, the depths of which I will still be pondering when I am grandmother to their children.
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2 comments:
Let's hear it for the grandparents!!! ...Mudsy,Opa and me...I've heard it said you don't know how you did as a parent until you see how your grandchildren turn out. While they're not completely "turned out" they're well on their way...thanks to the Good Lord and good parenting.
Yes - I think that's REALLY what children are for. :) To humble us, and to teach us.
(And of course, to frustrate us....just a little. :) )
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