Today I cried… not because I was sad, but because I was happy. Unlike the title may suggest, this post isn’t about whether or not my child had good sportsmanship, because she always has – rather, it’s about the day my daughter finally found the inner strength to let herself become a vital part of her team.
My oldest daughter is playing basketball. She is 12 (7th grade). She is kind, sweet and has the attitude of every kid her age… but not on the court. On the court she is not aggressive at all — not a quality that bodes well for team sports. In fact, it is her personal strengths that I am so proud of (kind, unselfish, quick & smart) that used to “do her in” on the court. She was smart enough to know that it was just a game, and never wanted to hurt anyone. So, year after year, in every sport she participated in, I watched my child’s natural talent become suffocated by her passive, carefree approach to the world. Hence, my very tall and big-boned “perfectly adapted for basketball” child, was more of a space-filler instead of a daunting force. Today, something magically changed.
What I saw today I have never seen before. She wanted that ball. She owned the ball — and everyone else on the court. Arms up, snatching re-bounds, ball-stealing, hustling up and down the court, free-throws, you name it, she did it… and she actually fouled someone (accidentally, of course). It was a moment of pure joy and relief. For all the years my husband and I tried to nuture her and encourage her, push without pushing, and guide without overwhelming — it all came together, just when I was beginning to think it never would.
Today I saw that kind and gentle girl become a young woman. A young lady who was still kind, smart and quick, yet finally grasped the concept of what it really meant to use her strengths and truly become a part of her team. I saw her self-confidence explode, and her face beam with pure joy. She felt more personally empowered than any other time I have witnessed. Today was the day she recognized her true potential, and had the sound judgment to put it into action. Today my little girl was not so little anymore, and I am so very proud of her.
This just goes to show you that you should never stop encouraging your child. The time will come for whatever it is that they are working on, and they will find success in their own time and in their own way. It may take failure after failure to find the right path. It may mean that with some challenges, they learn that a different path is better suited for them. But whatever they do, if you stand behind your child and believe in them, they will ultimately succeed.
On the day that they do, you may cry, too. It’s a beautiful thing to watch your child find who they really are.
