Those of you who know me know that I am a fairly competitive person.  It really doesn’t matter what I’m doing, I want to win or be the best.  Just this weekend we had some folks over and one of our guests and Lucy were playing “Just Dance 4”.  I decided that not only should I play (without the remote), I should sell the dance moves.  This need to win goes back to my childhood.  Playing baseball was when I was at my most intense.  The way I played second base, you’d have thought it was game 7 of the World Series.  I remained this way, though time has made me a bit less fiery.  The boss is the same way.  She is just as competitive as I am and some of our most trying times centered around us trying to one up each other in the classroom.  And now, we watch our kids play.

I am not sure which is the more cardiac arrest inducing activity.  Is it harder to stand at home with a 3-2 count and the game on the line or is it harder to watch your child take the block at a swim meet, or race down midfield with a scoring opportunity?  Following all of my friends on social media it is clear that we are actively engaged in our kids’ events.  What is your take on this?  I assist with the coaching of Ethel’s soccer team and I really have to keep my competitive streak in check.  I have to remind myself that these are children playing a game.  Before the little ones take the field, I tell them to “play hard, play smart, and have fun”.  Sometimes I think the parents should hear that as well.  I suppose that I have two goals (other than winning) when they compete: that they not get hurt and that they do their best.  But as a parent I want them to not only do their best, I want them to succeed.  In the end, this is what I think we all want for our children-success.

It is hard watching your children on their own or with their team engaging in an activity that you, as a parent, can in no way influence.  I am sure that my parents experienced the same thing 30 years ago.  Its clear that they haven’t yet turned it off.  Will my girls be athletic powerhouses?  I doubt it.  But what I hope is that they understand that the thrill of success doesn’t only have to be found on a sports field in front of a crowd.  Success can be felt by understanding a difficult school topic or finally getting that one note right on that song.  Regardless of where the success occurs, the smile on their face is worth the agony.  That is when you truly feel your heart skip a beat.

It always seemed like summer went by so slowly when I was a kid.  School would get out and we settle into a pattern of baseball games, a trip to the beach or two, maybe a big trip to Disney World, and figuring out ways to pass the time.  As an only child, I got quite good at throwing a ball against the side of the shop and doing what I thought were awesome tricks on my Haro bicycle.  In actuality, I was pretty terrible at the bike tricks, but in my head I was the raddest guy around.  I also remember when the Disney Channel would show classic Disney cartoons and classic live-action movies.  The magazine for the channel would come and it had the schedule in it and I would look through to find out when things like The Parent Trap or The Apple Dumpling Gang would be on.  Now, I feel like I have to monitor what the girls watch on Disney…As I got older, summers started to go a bit faster.  Eventually, I had to get a job and that made summer speed up even more.  Still, though, the days were good and I thought it would always be that way.  I never believed the adults who said to enjoy the time because it goes faster the older you get.

I find myself telling Lucy and Ethel the same thing now.  They complain about camp, about being bored, and about going to the pool (among other things).   And I say,”Enjoy it, it’ll be over before you know it and you’ll be back in school.”   When did I become my dad?  It is nice that school has started back and we can settle into our school-year routines.  But Summer, where did you go and why did you go so fast?  I feel like I blinked and it was gone.  Honestly, though, I feel that way about the girls’ entire childhood to this point.  Summer started strong.  I got to go to Chicago for the first time and I loved it.  Catching a Cubs game at Wrigley was cool, we ate well, and the lakefront was gorgeous.  We spent lots of time at the pool.  Yes, we were there for swim practices and meets.  We were also there enjoying our friends and listening to live bands.  We took at spur-of-the-moment trip to Myrtle Beach for the 4th of July.  What possessed me to play chicken in the ocean with Lucy on my shoulders, I’ll never know.  But they are finally no longer sore and she had a blast.  Watching the fireworks from the balcony was cool.  Lucy went to girl scout camp during the hottest week of the summer, but she survived.  And of course, in August, there was Hawaii.  And then, done.

I am having the realization that I have fewer summers with Lucy at home ahead of us than we do behind.  I guess that is the whole point.  When you are a kid, that one day is all that matters.  When you are a parent, you understand a bit better that time is finite.  Because of that we work, we plan, and we hope that we are giving our kids good experiences.  There are no do-overs for those summer days.  Lucy has begun her last year of elementary school.  Ethel is in second grade.  Too soon, they’ll be gone and all I’ll be able to say will be “man, that was fast.”