I mentioned on Friday that my daughter was signed up for a triathlon on Saturday morning. She's a great swimmer and an amazing runner but weakish on the bike - on account of being 6 and just having learned to ride.
I took her out last week to practice starting and stopping since those are the two trickiest parts and after we'd practiced each of them about 20 times she burst into tears and decided that she no longer wanted to compete in the triathlon.
(I should mention that unlike some previous bike-teaching incidents that ended with BOTH of us crying, I was VERY calm.)
During the week she went to a pool party and to track practice and was still pretty insistent that she didn't want to compete in the triathlon. Until I told her that I thought she might win. Then she was all fired up.
"I'll try." she said.
But Saturday morning when my alarm went off at 6:30, she was FAST asleep and the outside temperature was 55 degrees. It had rained for a good portion of the previous 3 days so the pool promised to be about 55 degrees as well.
I was torn. Do I wake her up on the third day of summer vacation to toss her into a freezing cold pool? Or just let her sleep in her nice warm bed?
If it were my race I know what I would have done - I would have competed because that's how aggressive I am - but would sending her into the race make her less likely to compete in the future?
I wasn't sure.
The race is only an annual event and she'd learned to ride her bike just so she could compete this year. Was I prepared to tell her that she had to wait an entire other year?
Also, my daughter sometimes gets asthma attacks when she gets very cold. On the other hand, she's been swimming in the 50 degree Atlantic Ocean for a month.
What would you have done?
You can't leave it hanging it there! Does 'give her the choice' exist in 6 year old land? I'm sure she rocked it if you did go...
Posted by: JJ | June 27, 2011 at 09:05 AM
I would have had to let her decide if she if she wanted to compete or not. She sounds like a pretty smart kid, so I think she would want to make her own choice. And yes don't leave us hanging...what happened.
Posted by: Tonya | June 27, 2011 at 09:13 AM
I would have had her compete. She would at least have tried it and figured if she liked it or not. Maybe she would realize she didn't like triatholons, but really learned she could kick butt swimming or running, so she focuses on one of those. Who know, she could be the next Michael Phelps!
Posted by: Katie | June 27, 2011 at 09:18 AM
I would have woken her up, told her about the conditions, and let her make her own decision, probably with a slight urging toward participating. I'm sure she'd appreciate the chance to make her own decision, and its a good opportunity for her to weigh various factors in coming to a decision.
Also, how lame would it sound for her friends to ask her about the race, and for her to have to answer "I didn't do it because mom didn't wake me up for it"
Posted by: Jenny | June 27, 2011 at 11:33 AM
I would have done the same thing the commenter above me suggested: awakened her, given her the details, and let her decide.
Posted by: Heather | June 27, 2011 at 11:49 AM
I would have woken her and given her the choice, but I also would have encouraged her to do it, noting that if conditions were horrible, that she could try again another time...
Posted by: Sarah | June 27, 2011 at 01:20 PM
I had great parents. They loved me, supported me, encouraged me, were PROUD of everything I ever did, and always wanted me to do well. However, they never pushed me to do anything. No pressure of any kind, (except for work ethic, which is a good thing), but never pushed. I am a very intelligent woman who is a slacker. Maybe if they had MADE me do more things I could "make" myself do more now. Hopefully, you woke her up with a smile, escorted her and cheered her on!
Posted by: Tracy | June 27, 2011 at 01:55 PM
I would have competed. There was a time in my life that I would have just skipped it, but then I participated in my first 100k bicycle ride. It was "just" a ride, but it absolutely kicked my ass. On an absolutely beautiful day, I wasn't prepared to ride such a distance, my bike was not adequate to ride that far. I forced myself to finish, but I was physically exhausted.
At that point, I decided to "get real" about bike riding . . . the next year, we had major storm warnings before the ride. But, I had prepared myself. At the 15 mile mark, it started to drizzle. By the 25 mile mark, downpour. At 30 miles, thunder, lightning, and hail - for the next 20 miles.
The last 15 miles of the ride, things cleared up, quickly. The sun came out - and started truly pounding down. The temperature rose from 65 to 85 a matter of minutes. I finished, bruised, wet, and sweaty. I felt great.
I've gone on to marathons. I have my first triathlon in the near future. Once I commit myself, I can't allow myself to not do it.
Posted by: John | June 28, 2011 at 12:39 PM