Parents can be unwittingly cruel to their children. My Dad's insistence on wearing flares well in to the 1980s being a great example.
Anna had a week off preschool, and LK was able to get her in to a week's tennis camp for free. Perfect. Except there was slightly more consideration given to our finances than to Anna's aptitudes. She's not exactly gifted when it comes to sports. If you throw a ball at her she can just about muster a blink before it hits her in the face. Nevertheless, there was also pool time involved, and summer has finally arrived in Southern California. She would have fun.
LK dropped her off on Monday morning wearing a lilac unicorn t-shirt and a flowery skirt, so she blended in perfectly with the Wimbledon whites worn by everyone else. Plus she was a full year younger than all the other kids, 90% of whom were boys. LK texted me a photo where she looked like the token black kid in a Tommy Hilfiger advert. Then he sent a photo of her kneeling on the tennis court looking despondent while kids played around her. My heart sank. We had put her in 'tennis for tots' on Monday mornings for the month prior hoping that would give her a bit of a head start. I was beginning to wonder if she'd ever set foot on a tennis court again.
Amazingly that evening she was excited about the prospect of more tennis the next day. Despite not having hit a single ball over the net. Apparently when it comes to sheer 'stick-to-it-iveness' she is streets ahead of her mother. I am in awe. The day after, success! She hit two balls over the net!
In four hours.
She was excited that they had been doing a 'tennis hit' that she'd heard of; the forehand. Here's Anna's forehand in all its glory:
These would make perfect 'spot-the-ball' photos....
This one looks like it's going to hurt.....
and finally, very much like her mother, the pro is feeding a ball to her and she is turning to have a natter with the kid behind her....
By Thursday 'pizza prize day' she had accrued a massive 10 points (for successfully eating an orange - I kid you not). She was undeterred and still managed to come home with an alligator squirt gun as a prize. She even wants to do it again next year, which is good, because it's free so I can foresee a lot of tennis in her future.
4 comments:
You're doing better than us - I paid for DS to take a series of tennis lessons last year. He was as good at it as Anna and decided he hated it. He refused to go to the last class!
My current cruelty - Sunday afternoon Chinese class. It's not free, but it's very cheap, and I really think the kids should know another language!
Sometimes I think the payback for us parents is to watch our kids struggle through and laugh. This is hilarious. Of course it's only funny because she's got a great attitude and was continuously trying. Still those pictures are priceless.
oh please, give that girl some proper tennis shoes! are those ballet flats she's wearing on the court!?
Thanks to you, I have learned many interesting things. I hope to learn even. I congratulate you for these wonderful sharing. Keep going !
voyance par mail gratuite ; voyance gratuite mail
Post a Comment