Two evenings a week, for two hours at a pop, we took our daughter to gymnastics team practice, an experience my wife and I frankly didn't love but that our little girl seemed to enjoy more and more. I must admit, we pondered how we could pull the plug on this commitment and steer our girl toward something requiring less capital outlay and fewer commutes across town.
Then our daughter surprised us all, as she has a habit of doing. In her first gymnastics meet, she absolutely killed it, accepting five medals (including first-place all-around in her age division) to the thunderous applause of a crowd of parents and kids.
Just look at the smile on her face. The pride. The joy.
Lesson learned: Don't ever think of re-routing or getting in the way of a determined child, especially one as spunky and bold and dedicated as our budding gymnast.