Life's Moments

Encourage Their Dreams Without Pushing Your Agenda

March 10, 2020

When kids are little, you are in the throes of survival. You are making it through each day knowing this small person is 100% completely dependent on you. As you rock them to sleep, the future creeps in and wonder about what they will pursue in life happens.

Then they get a bit older and begin showing interest in different activities. Sometimes they join teams because you gave them options but that’s not why they should stick with it. My kids are getting to the age where soon they will want to focus on one or two things for the long haul.

While I can see their potential in some activities, my goal is to make sure not to push too hard causing them to feign interest in a once loved hobby.

Criticism is where we can lose our cool, when we think we are helping but in essence it’s making our kids resent us. It’s one thing to teach them how to correct improper behavior or technique, but it’s another to tear them down about it.

My biggest goal right now is to be present for them when they want to practice. With my oldest, she is hardcore into volleyball and will practice in our backyard even hours after she has finished a day long tournament. In order to get better, she knows that practicing with her team is not enough to increase her skill. Touching a ball multiple times a week and honing in different drills will make all the difference.

Her brothers are still young enough where they are figuring out where they want to put their energies, but seeing her and I modeling this hard driven behavior makes them want to be more. As long as I’m out there shagging balls for her, volleying back and forth, and most importantly being present, she’ll keep going.

How do you support your kids?

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