Activities

Growing up in a small town in the 70’s and early 80’s there were not the number of organized children’s activities that there are now. In the spring and early summer we played girls’ softball in a community league. In grade school and junior high we played basketball in the fall and winter. I belonged to the community Girl’s Club (back when the Boys Club and Girls Club were separate), where I did ceramics, roller skating, pool, crafts, and cross country skiing. I finally got to play an instrument (clarinet –yick) in junior high. My family did a lot of hiking, biking, swimming in the summer, tons of roller skating, and cross country skiing. My older sister was super athletic. She got to do swimming for a year, then ice skating for a year (they didn’t have anything for the younger kids like they do now), guitar. She mostly did softball and basketball. I didn’t play these sports in high school because I wasn’t good enough to make the team. The bad thing about not being that great is that I did a lot of bench sitting. I wish they would have had things like soccer, volleyball and dance and karate because I would have really liked those. We had a small dance studio in town but it was super expensive, so I never got to go. There was no co-ed soccer.

I put V into a young child’s class of gymnastics back in June. She loves it! It’s 45 minutes once a week split up into balance beam, tumbling, bar work, trampoline, and free play. Is she good at it? I don’t know and I don’t care. I’d love for her to be good enough to continue. It’s so amazing to watch the other girls there and see the flexibility and strength. She took dance for 8 weeks and loved that even more. If I could find a time that worked for us, I would have her in both. I think it’s so great that she gets exercise, is gaining confidence, learning to take turns, and having fun. I also would like to start her in Piano when she is four.

Plus she is so darn cute in the leotard and dance dress.