A great article about the benefits of kid’s activities beyond just doing the activity itself. As a former gymnast, I can’t imagine my life without the lessons I learned from my sport and the every day ups and downs of being an athlete. Here is an article by Shad Martin that talks about this in the context of dance, but it could very well have been about gymnastics.
The other night someone asked me “Why do you pay so much money for your girls to dance?”
Well I have a confession to make, I don’t pay for dance. Personally, I couldn’t care less about dance. I grew up in a family of 4 boys and no girls. The “Nutcracker” was something you did on a dare off of the high dive at the pool or something you unpleasantly surprised your brother with. Up until the day I met my wife if I were asked to go to Swan Lake I would have asked if we were water skiing or fishing.
So if I am not paying for dance what am I paying for? I pay for those moments when my daughters become so tired they want to quit but don’t. I pay for those days when my daughters come home from school and are “too tired” to go dance but go anyway. I pay for my daughters to learn to be graceful. I pay for my daughters to learn to take care of their body. I pay for my daughters to learn to work with others and to be good team mates. I pay for my daughters to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don’t get that part they hoped for, but still have to work hard at the part that they received. I pay for my daughters learn to make and accomplish goals. I pay for my daug
hters to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create something beautiful, and that success does not happen over night. I pay for the opportunity my daughters have and will have to make life long friendships. I pay so that my daughters can be on stage instead of in front of a screen…I could go on but to be short, I don’t pay for dance, I pay for the opportunities that dance provides my daughters to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment!
I am sure that other parents get similar questions. “Why do you pay for competitive baseball?” “Why do you pay for Quarterback training?” “Why do you pay for club soccer?” “Why does your kid swim year round?”…. I just think it is important to realize what we are really paying for.
