Take The Time

My daughter has been involved in dance either in studio or competition for the past 12 years. For the past three years I have been fortunate enough to have my views on the dance team printed in the local, small town newspaper. For the past five years my daughter has been playing volleyball. During practices I have been known to hang out and shag volleyballs or help out the coach with a drill. For a couple of years I sat next to the coach and took team stats. Most recently I’ve been a line judge and active member of the booster club. Previously my daughter had played some soccer and I helped out as an assistant coach.

My point is, I’m involved. I believe that my daughter appreciates having me around. I make every effort not to call special attention to her personally. When I cheer, I cheer for the team. She is my only child and I enjoy watching her enjoying herself.

I understand that not all parents can be as involved. But what I witnessed last week just made me sick. Here was a young dancer asking her mother to stay at a high school basketball game until half time so that the mother could see her daughter dance with her teammates. The dancer not only was in the performance but had also been involved with the choreography. The mother was arguing with her daughter that she was not going to sit around at a basketball game, waiting for her daughter to dance.

I don’t know the mother may have had some other time commitment already. I know there are other siblings that may have also been placing demands on this mother’s time. But to hear this argumentative, negative response and see the disappointment on the dancers face was very sad. How long will this mother have an opportunity to see her daughter enjoying an activity that she loves? What if this young lady is already on the edge of making questionable choices? When will this mother devote 45 minutes to share her daughter’s joy?

Not everyone can be as involved as I am. Not everyone wants to be as involved as I am. Not everyone should be as involved as I am. But every parent should try to make time for those special events in their child’s life. That time spent could be the memories and life lessons that our kids will take with them into their adulthood.