My Persuasive speech

It's spring 1998 and I am about to give my first speech in college. A 30 minute persuasive speech to the class. I  was beyond nervous about the idea of speaking for 30 minutes about anything let a loan a speech to try to persuade my professor and classmates. I knew it had to be something that I was passionate about that I could speak mostly from the heart but with facts backing me up. My speech was: Why children should be involved in sports.

This was an easy speech to prepare for and there are so many facts statistically about the benefits of athletics to prove this to be a piece of cake. Benefits far greater than "it's just good for your health." I prepared well, presented it well and it was received well from my classmates, who had to fill out a survey on my persuasiveness. My professor, however, gave me a C. I was so upset and went to talk to him about it and all he said to me was, " I personally don't believe in the importance of sports growing up."

Why is this coming up now? Because this week has been a week of registering my kids for spring and summer activities. I look at my calendar figuring which kid can do which sports camp when and if I can make it from dropping kid A off and get kid B to their "thing" on time. Trying to figure out how to fit in our camping trip, our summer trip, family reunion etc. All of this and they are 8,6 and 4 years old. I have officially started to analyze my life as a VERY involved kid and it's importance. But my feelings of a Mom have set in.  I don't want to spend every night running them to different sports, not having dinner together and the three of them not spending quality time together. I am not ready to give up our family trips we plan every year and our camping trips that have brought us so many memories. For those of you who think, "you can still do all of that." Of course we can but I believe once you commit to a team, you show up. That's part of being part of a team and teaching commitment. I specifically remember my last summer of camping and going to Michigan to visit my cousins with my family, I was 8. I wish I had more of those summers with my family looking back now.

 Sports were so important, gave me something to work towards, goals to achieve, kept me focused, made me work harder at school, made me determined, helped make me make good decisions, stayed true to good morals, made good choices, had good friends all because sports were so important to me I was not willing to sacrifice my success to a poor choice in judgement. It had a HUGE impact on  who I am today. And I like who I am today.

 But as I sit here, sports are such a little part of my life now and life is good and as much I as love them I am not sure I am ready to give up my kids, my family time, my kids time together to sports. Do sports have to be everything, no. But they do consume a lot of your time, and then multiply it by 3 kids. So what do I do? Did I sign them up?  Of course I did because even though my heart is sad that this time we spend together every night will eventually have new meaning, I know there is nothing better than to give my kids the opportunity to succeed at something they love.  As much as I want our family time, our family camping trips, our summer trips to last forever I know that the new chapter of our life with them will give them great joy and give them something so important, teach them so many lessons that they can carry with them the rest of their life. ( insert tears)

So yes Wylie, I signed you up for spring baseball, summer baseball camp, summer bball camp, and a baseball training camp.  And Kasey you will get to do tennis lessons, basketball camp, soccer and  your art camp. And Tori, of course I will let you keep "playing" gymnastics because you love it so much.  Mom and Dad will sit there so proud of you as you find your passion.  (Well maybe we won't be sitting together because we will be too busy going back and forth but you get my point.)



~It's My Life~