My first born is eight, and this post is waaaaaaaay late. Late for a handful of reasons….ranging from being busy to tired, watching my kids games or having to go to the grocery store, being so late just to not even finishing it anymore….blah blah blah….the list is long, but the biggest reason is probably denial. 🙂 I can’t believe he’s eight. Eight years seems like such a long time. he’s 1/2 way to his junior year in high school, and I look at him and see his future in his many expressions. I think as parents we all do that, but sometimes it really gets to me how fast he is growing up. He’s strong and he’s smart and he’s compassionate…he is his sister’s best friend, and she is his. He’s growing up so fast. My dear friend and awesome fellow photographer Missy shared a link to a blog post with me, and it changed the relationship I want to have with my kids. here is the link…take a read if you have 5 minutes. It’s worth it, I promise. Anyhow, I live in a house full of sports and activities, seems like the sports never end. And both my kids are pretty athletic and very good at whatever it is that they play. This blog post talks about college athletes who were asked about what their parents said to them that made them feel great, and made the experience of whatever game they just played even better. The response was when their parents just said: “I love to watch you play“. Not, great job, nice batting, excellent catching, running, passing, swimming, jumping, goal-scoring…..whatever they do. Just I love to watch you play. And then as a parent you just shut it, and let them enjoy their accomplishments. It’s really a powerful page of reading. I look at my kids and I want them to enjoy their sports and their activities…and I really do just love to watch them play, and swim, and dance. I am so glad I read this, I played collegiate level sports, so it really sets in with me, I don’t think I ever heard that comment. But I know I did hear a lot of what I could have done better. There is a time for both I suppose…not really sure yet, but at this point they are still so little. Lately, I have been sitting in the stands watching endless parents critique their 1st graders. It makes me realize the choice I have of what I say to my kids.
I look at Jack and I just want him to be happy, and so far he is pretty happy. And I just love watching him grow up. ♥
