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Both kids will be participating in the local swim team summer program in a couple of weeks. They’ll have the opportunity to participate in a couple of swim meets for their age levels too. I’m excited for them and hope it’s a program they end up liking. If anything, they’ll be strong swimmers for their California lifestyle. 🙂
For Malia – swim should pair well with gymnastics. I’m amazed at how strong her body is.
So fun! It’s fun for kids to try all sorts of things and see what they love. I enjoy being a sports mom 🙂
Rhett started baseball at 4 years old, and is still going strong at almost 9 years old. He did not make the summer travel team (long drama story), but he will be back to playing in the “Fall” (August). He will be moving up to the kid-pitch age group, so that will be an adjustment. Rhett takes private hitting and pitching lessons to work on his skills. Baseball is so competitive here, that doing the private lessons has been a godsend so he can work on things he needs to work on. Plus, he listens to a coach yelling at him way more than he listens to us! So far, he’s interested in pitching, so he’ll probably try it in August. We’ll see how that pans out…
Rhett has been taking golf lessons for 2 years. He’s never had time to play on a team. But this summer, he is finally doing a team since he is not doing baseball. It’s really cool to see all these little kid golfers out there. It will help Rhett’s game a lot to play with other kids, some older & better than he is. It’s a whole new world for me honestly, and it’s weird. I will always be a baseball mom first & foremost, but I’m adapting 🙂
Rhett’s been taking piano lessons for 3 years. This is one of the things I’m most proud of him with. Very few kids we know take music lessons, and that makes me sad. Music is super-important and I think all kids should learn it. Like a language. The earlier they start, the easier it is and the more they learn. I would have started him at 3 or 4 years old if I could have, but we didn’t have our piano yet. I am proud that Rhett knows how to read music, and his skills are fast-approaching mine. I enjoy practicing with him. He gets excited about certain songs (not all lesson songs!), and I love that. He talks about playing other instruments one day, so we’ll see what he ends up trying. Here, kids don’t play music in school until Middle School! (so late, too late IMO!!) At that point, with so many years of piano under his belt, he can take up another instrument if he wants to.
Rhett has been taking weekly tennis lessons for 3 years. They are drop-in style at our neighborhood tennis courts, so it is great for our schedule and very convenient. He may never be a pro, but it’s great that he can get out there and play. He actually does really well, so it’s kind of sad that he can’t pursue it in earnest. There’s just no way he can do competitive tennis with all of his other activities.
Swimming is great! Malia will have so much fun!! Rhett took swimming lessons for many years, but same as tennis, just no time to do anything competitive with it. We just have to pick and choose. Baseball is so godawful time-consuming, it’s almost impossible to do anything else.
Rhett danced for 2 years and really enjoyed it. As baseball takes up more time, something had to give and Rhett had to stop dance. He misses it, but it was fun while he did it.
Granted, all of this is easier with one kiddo, just logistically not having to be in more than one place at one time! It has been so fun over the years watching Rhett do different activities, and get into things that he loves and that match his personality. As long as he doesn’t take up hockey and make me sit in the cold, I’m good with whatever he wants to do 😉
Yes – it is a fine balancing act. It doesn’t help that I’m the only one available to take them to where they need to go. Mike just isn’t reliable with work and all.
I think we’re going to let go of baseball. Max is too methodical for it. He really likes to take his time and think through things before moving. He’ll start golf lessons this summer with his Uncle (before I enroll him into anything formal). Since we live on a golf course, it might be easier for us and it’s more his pace. He also doesn’t do well in group settings because he’s so shy so team sports are tougher for him to get excited about.
Mike & I both competed in tennis so I’m hoping one of the kids will take that up.
Both kids will start piano & guitar lessons at some point. Malia is taking the drumming sessions with her hula sisters so hopefully it’ll feed her interest. Once both kids are on the same schedule, I hope to get them into more structured music classes. So much to do! So little time!
So exciting! Oh yeah, you are right. So much to do and so little time!! Good for you for working your working-mommy butt off to shuttle them around. I know that is not easy. Logistically and schedule-wise, it’s so hard when there is more than one kiddo doing activities!
Rhett loved his golf camp last week. He wanted to go back this week! He is in Art Camp this week, which he’s done for many years & loves it. He does an acting component this year, so that is fun to see.
Awww, good luck to Max on his Muay Tai. I hope he likes it. I highly recommend golf. It has been great for Rhett. It is expensive, but it has been a good fit for Rhett. With him being an only child & used to doing things by himself, team sports are never going to be his comfort zone. Baseball works because it’s a no-contact sport and he’s been doing it for so long. Any contact sport, nope, he wants no part of. He had a few 6 & 7 year olds on his golf team that were so good. I was constantly blown away by the talent at all ages, and both boys and girls too.
What does Max tell you he wants to do? Does he ever say “I wanna do this?” or “I wanna do that?” I think he will come out of his shell more as he goes through school, and maybe that will make him more interested in sports. If he’s not super-into sports, what about computers or coding or robotics or something like that? Rhett took a coding class once & loved it! It fit his personality very well. We’ve been wanting to get him in another one ever since, it’s just a scheduling thing for us. No time!
I plan on putting Max in robotics. They have great programs around here so I’m hoping to get him into one. He loves robots, tech stuff. Malia attended a robotics class over the summer but Max wasn’t old enough yet. I think he’d really like that.
Malia had her first day with the swim team. And man is it different from their summer session. Definitely much more intense. With Malia, she is naturally athletic & has had things come fairly easy for her. I’m used to seeing her in the middle or top of the pack. It made me anxious to see her in the back with multiple coaches on her to critique her form (in a supportive firm way). I was really nervous to see how she’d handle the criticism. Max doesn’t handle coaching very well & is usually in tears within the first 15 minutes before he calms down and participates
But she handled it like a champ. The minute she got out of the pool, she said “Mom, that class was sooooo good!” It’s going to be fun to see how she improves over time.
Eeeek! Malia is signed up for her first Swim Meet! Super excited and nervous for her!
It’s the first Home meet but it’s a way to introduce her to the Meet environment in a comfortable setting.Awwww after Malia’s last lap in the pool last night, she got out & just started crying. She said that she was really tired. Poor thing. They had to swim in the “big” pool (7-13feet deep) to work out their laps and start learning how to dive. I think the combination of physicality & anxiety from the diving may have pushed her too far.
She feel asleep the minute the car started.
I think I’m going to have her take a protein shake before each practice to make sure she’s properly fueled.
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