Starting Late

So, confession time- apparently we have started our kids "late" with sports. I became quite aware of this when Anna wanted to do gymnastics this year. Granted she has done a lot of park and rec kind of activities and swimming lessons and dance, but this is the first time she has actually been in an organized "sport" with levels and competitions. When I signed her up for the Beginner, 6+(age) level, I naively assumed the rest of the kids in her group would also be actual "beginners". Well, not really. There are a couple, but the vast majority have been tumbling and doing gymnastics since they were 3. We have a lot of catching up to do. Her instructors have been nice and understanding but every once in awhile we'll get a sort of nod of, "Oh yeah, well, she started late so she just needs to catch up". Really, late?? She is 6 for God's sake. Of her 6 years so far on this earth, almost 2 were spent learning to walk, which really leaves 4 years she could have been in gymnastics. I am having a hard time with the whole running around bringing her to gymnastics one night a week (soon to be two just so we can catch up!) as it is now, I can't imaging having to do this with a 3 year old.

Similar thing with Alex and hockey. Apparently 8 is just barely the cut off to be able to get into hockey. If you aren't in by the time you turn 9, forget it- there really is nothing for beginners after age 8. So, I know that Alex will have a similar struggle with the whole "trying to catch up" thing as many of the kids he plays with have been playing since they could walk. Fortunately for Alex, he is a whiz on skates and has always caught on to everything physical very quickly. But still, he's 8, and 8 is old to be starting hockey.

So, what happened? How did we let this happen? I have been thinking a lot about this lately. In some ways, it was a conscious decision on our part to wait. We knew that this stage of life- this run them everywhere and give up every weekend to sports- would be coming. And so, we waited, and we did other things. I don't regret that decision at all. I'm glad we let them be kids just a little longer. And even now, we are still not going as "sports crazy" as a lot of our friends with kids. And, it's ok. I just wish the rest of the world would see that it is ok and that sometimes starting "late" doesn't make you a negligent parent, it just means that you spent a little extra time cuddling, playing and enjoying the sweet, quickly fading "little kid" stage. Because as anyone who is a parent knows, that stage is gone in a blink and you can't get it back. Sports will always be there. And, believe it or not, life can and does happen without them :)