This past weekend our little girl ventured into new territory. For the first time she stepped into a more competitive world where failure was a possible result. She plays games with us, she plays with her friends, but no one posts the results of those events or announces the winners and losers. When you are little life should be fun and as parents we try to shield our children from the potential of disappointment as much as we can. So when Siena jumped into a new arena this weekend we were excited for her new chance to succeed.
The first thing I noticed about events where you can win and lose is that you wear a number. When you put on a number for the first time you truly enter the world of competitive sports. When I first saw the numbers on her something inside me knew that this time it was different. I quickly hearkened back to the first time I wore a number.
I was probably about the same age as Siena and was entering into my first little league experience. There were only two team in the league the Black and the Gold teams. I played for the Gold team and still remember that season well. We lost every game except one. I learned to love baseball and to hate losing. I still have the newspaper clipping from the one game we won.
So off to the first official competition we went, the swim meet. Here they write your event numbers on your arm in Sharpie.
Our little girl decided to open with the 25 meter free style (a 1 length of the pool swim) followed by a 50 meter free style (2 laps). She did great posting a 39 second time in her first race. In the second race she did another 39 second first lap and finished the race in 1:29. I was so proud of her and she was exhausted, but she never quit and she finished the races. A 6th place finish and a 3rd place finish in her age bracket. Super results for a first timer!
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| Game Face On |
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| Watching the Races |
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| Smile Practice |
On Sunday she auditioned for a role in the California Ballet's production of the Nutcracker. About 40 girls from around San Diego showed up for the open call to try out for 8 spots in the show. This one is even more nerve racking for a parent, because you don't see the audition and you don't know anything for a few weeks. They take the girls off to learn the routine, they dance for the judges and about an hour later they come back into the room. Here, they actually ask you to fill out a self-addressed envelope, where in 2 to 3 weeks they will send you a letter and let you know if you have a spot in the show. This one is certainly a long shot, and I think the experience of having to go in front of a judging table and perform had to be a big deal. Siena of course played it off as another day in the dance studio.
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| Warming Up |
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| Ready to Audition |
Maybe I am making too much of it, but I am so proud of my little girl for bravely taking on some new challenges. We never want to see our children lose and we are always there to make sure they know that by being part of things and participating they have already won. But, somehow I know my heart will ache the first time she doesn't win and has to learn to look for the silver lining. This is parent's love and where being a parent is so important.
