Badminton Time

                                     
For my girl's birthdays, my uncle gave my girls a badminton set. We put it up that day and since then, badminton has become an obsession at our house. We play badminton every day. The kids play it with each other, they play it with our neighbor. My dad stops by to play it with my husband. It is so intense that we installed a spot light in the backyard so that badminton can be played at night. It's serious business.

Yesterday, my daughter asked me to play her. I agreed. I am not really that good at badminton. I don't get as much practice as everyone else. I am horrible at serving. So I am out there with my 7 year old and just sucking. She is ruling me at badminton. I am clumsy, I am afraid of the shuttlecock, it was sad. She was trying to encourage me, "You can do it mom. That was a good serve." I sighed. I am the most un-athletic person ever.

It has always been that way. I played softball when I was a kid, which was horrible. I literally would sit in the outfield and pick flowers, I struck out pretty much every time. I pretty much brought the entire team down. My parents wouldn't let me quit. They had this delusion that I would get better and more athletic with more practice but that did not come to pass. Instead, I continued to be at the end of the batting roster and run away from balls that flew at me. It was horrible.

My kids aren't in any sports right now, which makes me feel like a terrible mother. Whenever I am with a group of moms they are like, "We are so busy - you know, between soccer games and and dance...." "I know what you mean. As soon as softball is over, we start right into cheerleading." I just nod my head. The kids are not in any sports right now. We have done a variety of activities on the past. Gymnastics, karate, dance, cheerleading. It is exhausting. My husband has a hectic work schedule as do I and the kids now have homework every night. I decided that I wasn't doing it anymore. There was no way that we could do practices during the week. So we switched to gymnastics on Saturday but then it interfered with birthday parties and weekend trips. We were just so over scheduled. I decided for my sanity that we weren't going to do it. So am I saying that my kids don't do organized team sports because I am selfish and don't make the time for those things? Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. Bad Mom Award.

I used to feel really guilty about it. Really beat myself up, but I have let that go. We work, that's the way it is. The kids are in school all day. They run around at recess and latchkey. They exercise, they are healthy. They play with other children, everyday they are outside for HOURS playing with the neighborhood kids. They understand team work. Kids 100 years ago weren't going to soccer practice after school. They were going home to help out on the farm, they were playing baseball with a stick and a rolled up sock. I'm not buying in.

So next time I'm with a group of moms and they are going on and on about how they move heaven and earth to make sure their kids are involved in 3,000 sports, I'm going to be like, "I know. My kids are involved in a Family Badminton League and they have to practice every day."