“He didn’t make the team.
He showed up early for 6 days and gave it his all, but he didn’t make the team.
We had to go to the school to see if his number was listed on the PE door. I think I was as nervous as he was, and when we didn’t see the number 40 both our hearts dropped. He didn’t say much in the car ride home. I didn’t press him, and I let him have his time.
Not achieving your goal is hard for everyone. And when you are 11 years old and give everything you have on the field (physically, mentally, and emotionally) it’s hard, but it does not have to be life-changing.
Disappointment is a part of life. Not making the team or not getting the grade or not getting the job are all part of life and I’ve always believed that these little roadblocks make us so much stronger.
He didn’t make the team, but he learned so much that day and it won’t defeat him – it will make him stronger.
Just as my son learned so much that day, I learn every day as a parent! I know that with every experience my children have, I am learning.
If we can show our children that we love them for who they are and who they are becoming, then we have achieved so much. If we can show them that who they are matters way more than any score on a test, any accolade on a field, or any achievement, then we have achieved so much.”
