Kudos to my daughter Cat and her team the Diamonds on their Victory yesterday. It was thrilling to watch Cat score her first goal, make 2 assists and succeed as goalie in the second half of the game.
Victory got me thinking of the other words in our language that begin with the letter V. Vociferous - I was overly vociferous in my support of the team and my daughter. Why is it that I lose all sense of reason when I see my children succeed at a sport? Am I really turning into "that kind of mom"? Is it merely positive reinforcement to a slightly psychotic level. Is it different when she does poorly? Will I scream at the top of my lungs "That's OK, next time try to kick it in the opponent's net, I still support you!!" as I clutch onto the hubster's arm hard enough to cause bruising
Videotaping - for those of us who are huge sports fans and follow the New England Patriots, I can't quite get my brain around this videotaping scandal. "Everyone does it" yes, I can imagine. But what are the other things in life are we going to explain to our kids that everyone else "does" and to just turn the other cheek? (premarital sex, drinking before the age of 21, driving too fast, trying pot....) Virtue - As a mother of two young children, its easy to imagine the kind of virtues I am going to try to instill in my girls as they become young women (don't do drugs, don't drink and drive, etc.). What are the virtues we are introducing without realizing it? It's OK to gossip about the other mom's in the neighborhood, it's OK to skip church or work because we simply don't feel like going, it's OK to tell little white lies. Do these little indiscretions creep up on us eventually?
Value - Would my reaction been different had the Diamonds lost yesterday? Would Cat's goal, 2 assists, numerous saves while in goal be erased by the mere fact that they lost? I hope not. I hope that Cat realizes that doing her personal best regardless of the outcome is what we value and not necessarily winning. I hope that all of us "sports parents" keep that in check this season. Volunteering - Yes, I'm very proud of Cat again. She volunteered to play goalie in the second half. I was such a shy and mousy kid, I never volunteered to do anything. Makes me wonder, is that nine-year old mouse still in me that makes me not want to volunteer for anything else in life and have I simply disguised the lack of volunteerism with being busy?
Valor - Defined means "strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness: personal bravery." Great word - in fact my favorite in the bunch. When I think of valor, I think of knights in shining armor slaying the enemy. In modern times in the suburbs, who or what is the enemy and how do we define personal bravery?
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