I spent roughly the first 16 years of my life in Wyoming. As you may or may not know, there really isn’t much to do in Wyoming beyond watching the grass grow. I moved to the Washington, DC area in high school and haven’t looked back. Living in a major metropolitan area, many opportunities to see and experience things are presented to you that you just don’t get in a place like Wyoming.
My oldest daughter started track and field this year at her school. The track bug has definitely struck her and she loves everything about it. As with anything in the past which she, or her younger sister, have participated in, I have tried to support her and give her all the tools she needs in order to excel.
One aspect of that support comes in the way of inspiration. How do capitalize on your kids’ passion for particular activities and inspire them to learn, grow, and excel? Perhaps the best way I’ve found to succeed in providing them avenues for inspiration goes back to what I lacked in Wyoming…opportunity and accessibility.
This past weekend some of the girls from her track team were competing at the Penn Relays. My daughter and one of her closest friends from her team were crafting a plan to go up on Saturday to see some of the events, in particular the USA vs the world. I jumped on this opportunity and did all I could to make it happen. I knew there were going to be a number of Olympians competing such as Allyson Felix and Justin Gatlin. Other track superstars would also be there including one of her favorites, Sanya Richards-Ross. This was a highly competitive event featuring battles with our biggest rival, Jamaica.
There was no doubt I wanted to take her and her friend to the event so they’d have the opportunity to see these amazing athletes compete at a top level against competition from around the world. What better way to inspire your child than to let them witness those at the top of their field doing what she does every day at practice and at track meets. She can absorb the entire experience, learn from it, and be inspired.
I’ve done this in the past many times with my daughters. Again, taking the opportunities that are there and just doing it. This includes taking them to see Alvin Ailey perform at the Kennedy Center to stoke their ongoing love of dance or taking them to see Manchester United v Barcelona at FedEx field to increase their passion for soccer.
These opportunities were never there for me as a kid. It’s amazing what is out there and accessible for kids today. Just take advantage and go to as many events as you can.
How do you inspire your kids? Are there ways that you find to provide them inspiration that increases the love for what they are doing?
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