Way back in the day, I used to watch the news while getting ready to go to work. My favorite was the first few minutes of the Today Show I would get to watch. One morning there was a CRAZY talented soccer player on and she was talking about sportsmanship. She mentioned that when she was a kid and playing Pee Wee Soccer, her Grandfather would give her 25 cents for a goal and a dollar for an assist.

Dude.

That might be one of the most amazing things I’ve heard in the history of ever.

 
Putting more emphasis in helping rather than doing and the notion that it is not always about you, it just oozes of humility and grace.

Wow.

This past Saturday was our first swim meet of the season. It was also the first year that all 3 kiddos were on the team. Jack Jack was no longer the patient boy hanging out for 8 hours cheering for his sisters; he finally got to be in all the excitement.

I think the only thing I don’t care for is their love of the Snack Shack. Well, let me back up….I don’t like my kiddos spending their money on food – that’s kinda my job, it’s like in the rule book that I have to feed them. So when I bring coolers full of snacks, sandwiches and treats and all they want to do is spend a small fortune at the Snack Shack on sugar…it drives me a little crazy.

I thought I had finally figured it out. I had a small bag full of coins all ready for them. I told them that this was it. This was all the money they could have all season for Snack Shacks. I told them I was putting them in charge of the whole ordeal, that once they were out of money that I didn’t want to hear the S word.

Turns out this was a horrible parenting choice.

I hand them the coin purse at 6:57am, they run straight over to the Snack Shack and come back at 7:02am with their arms filled with licorice rope, orange soda and ring pops.

Mother of the year over here.

Rule number one; don’t put the 7 year old boy with no sense of tomorrow and a sweet tooth in charge of shiny coins. I woulda bet money that he was yelling ‘YOLO!’ the whole way over to the Snack Shack.

Ok, time to re-evaluate. Let’s try this again…

I decided to go the sportsmanship route. What characteristics of sportsmanship are there over here in swimming land? Play fair, no trash talk, respect the rulings, stay positive, do your best….what else? Ah yes, the grace thing….that one is my favorite.

Ok Schroeder….After each race, every time you shake hands with the person in the lane next to you, I will give you one dollar to spend at your beloved Snack Shack.

I wonder what the parental handbook says about Parental Bribery?

We are on our way to our second swim meet of the season right now. We have the next 8 hours to try this out….we will see what happens, I hope it works. Cross your fingers for me.

Man, this parenting gig is hard.

Go Buddy Go

what event are we on?