Lesson Learnt

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There is one lesson I believe is very important to teach my children and that is the importance of seeing something through to the end.  When the Butterfly asks to do something that will take time and dedication I always make a point of telling her she has to finish what she begins. I do not believe that she will learn anything if she does not follow through to the end. Which is not to say she doesn’t try to get out of things, like mopping the kitchen floor, once she starts and realises it’s a lot harder than it looks.  When she was little, I was happy to help her finish, but now with her at school  whatever she starts she has no choice but to finish on her own.
Last cricket season the Butterfly was very eager to play cricket but half way through the season she began to make noises about not playing. Now as much as I would have been very happy to have my Saturday mornings back I dug in my heels and told her she had to see the season through. My main point was that she was part of a team and by not playing she was letting her team and her coach down. She begrudgingly agreed to see it through and I am sure every Friday night she prayed it would rain on Saturday morning and the game cancelled. So imagine my surprise when at the end of last term she brought home the registration papers for this cricket season. Two weeks of holiday, many discussions and warnings later I reluctantly signed the papers and paid the fee convinced I would eventually be telling my child “I told you...”
So, the first practise day rolls around and both the Butterfly and I are pleased to see that she has the same enthusiastic, humorous and involved coach she had last season. I have a feeling that Coach was the reason Butterfly enjoyed practise because he has a way of keeping the kids interested and running.  We were off to a good start, practise was fun, and she was looking forward to the Saturday match.  However, Saturday dawned and it was plain to see the lack of enthusiasm in the Butterfly as she employed delaying tactics in the hopes of getting out of it. Some sharp words from her Papa got her moving at least even though she was a little slow. To add insult to injury her team fielded first, she does not like to field and she was the closing bowler so she had to wait until right to the end that, she claimed, was not cool. So, she chased a few balls got mad because she didn’t get to them before another teammate, started crying and ignored the next two balls. But, a few quiet words from her coach and she pulled herself together and focused on the game, except now the ball didn’t go in her direction.  She did however bowl straight for two over’s and managed to get a wicket too and she hit all the balls that reached her when she batted. Her relief when the game was over was obvious when she asked me if she could add a star to her chart for “getting the job done.”
I was pleased when Butterfly said she was okay if I didn’t go watch her at practise this past Thursday and even more pleased when this morning the Lollipop decided to sleep in so that I had an excuse not to go with to today’s match. I think the Butterfly liked the idea of having her father to herself because she was rather keen to get going this morning. The Lollipop and I had a pleasant morning doing the housework and playing hide and seek. I did spare a thought for the Mauritian sitting there on the cricket field and wondering how he was coping with the Butterfly and if she was trying to get away with not fielding.  We were half way through a game of “catch the monster” when Lollipop started running to the front door yelling “Hello Sarah!”  I braced myself for angry faces and a bad mood, what I got was “Mum can I have two stars today!”
Apparently our Butterfly not only captained her team to their first victory ever, but she also got two wickets, ten runs and player of the day.
Lesson learnt I believe!

Comments

  1. Anonymous26 October 2013 at 20:02

    Well Done My Darling Sarah-Marie!!:)

    ReplyDelete

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