March 12, 2010
After
my husband read today’s slice, he said, “It reminds me of my favorite quote
when I used to play sports:”
Winning
isn’t everything. It is the only thing. —
Vince Lombardi
After school
Stephanie and I holed up in the studio for a little while. She was working on
making a card for her kindergarten teacher; I was creating a
mini-album. A comfortable silence had settled around us. The peace of
creating permeated the air. As a mom, it is these moments I crave. Moments
carved out of the day which invite conversation. I didn’t have to wait long for
Steph to break the silence.
“I can hardly wait
for softball to start,” she said as she finished cutting her glitter paper.
“Yeah, I’m looking
forward to it too. What makes you excited?”
“I can’t wait to
win.” I looked up at her. She continued working, serious about her thoughts.
“Really? You like to
win, eh?”
“Oh yeah. I love
to win. That’s why I want to play sports. So I can win.” I marvel at her strong
personality and her determination. She continues to create her card. “It makes
me really frustrated when I don’t win. That’s why I’m glad the snow is gone. I
need to practice hitting and catching and throwing. That way softball will be
fun, because my team will win.”
I smile, thinking how
opposite her attitude toward winning is from mine. “You want to know something
Steph?”
She stopped drawing
and looked up. “Sure.”
“When I used to play
sports, I didn’t really care much about winning. It was just fun to play.”
Steph stared at me,
puzzled. “I don’t understand that at all, Mom. I don’t think I would have liked
you on my team.”
Laughing, I hugged
her. “No, you probably wouldn’t. I’m glad you like to win, though. It’ll help
you be a good athlete.”
She looked up at me
with serious blue eyes. “And practice. Practice will help. You have to
practice if you want to win.”
Clearly she's been talking to her dad, who shares her belief that you play sports to win. I just smiled at her. Although I'll never understand her drive to win, I will always love watching how this bit of her personality helps her grow into the person she will become.
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