Cocooning

As a family, we're pretty low key about extra-curricular activities for our kids--partly due to money, partly because we don't want our lives to be overscheduled. Keeping up with school and church activities alone can often feel like too much! It's because of this feeling that we typically don't sign the kids up for any sports during the school year. We use the summer season to sign them up for classes they might enjoy.

Once school lets out, we encourage them to try new things and stretch their interests, knowing that eventually, as they grow older, they'll settle into one or two things that they "love."

This summer, Jennifer (9 years old) took soccer and skating. She's fairly athletic and does well with just about anything she tries. Even though she's good at a lot of sports, it's tough to tell what direction she'll go in life, which activity will be the one to spark her passion.

There is nothing more thrilling (and scary) than your daughter finding and following a dream. One day we were driving home from skating lessons, and Jennifer was sitting in the backseat of the car. . . quietly. I asked her what she was thinking about, and she blurted out, "I'm never going to have my dream!"

"Well, honey. . . what exactly is your dream?" I asked.

"I want to skate!" she said with a mournful sort of wail in her voice.

I couldn't help but smile. "You already are skating, Jen! You're doing it!"

"But I want to be a figure skater. I want to compete!"

"There's no reason you can't do that" I encouraged.

"But it costs a lot of money, Mom! And we don't have a lot of money!"

Dusk was settling in. I turned on the car's headlights.

"Yes, there is that," I said. "All big dreams require a lot of persistence and hard work. But we can take your dreams one step at a time, can't we?"

"Yes, but Mom. . . . ." she continued to wail, trying to explain that she had seen the movie Ice Princess, and the girls who were skating had parents who took out second mortgages on their homes, and/or dad's who worked two jobs just to support their children's dreams.

My heart was singing with the joy over Jen's ability to articulate a dream. At the same time, my heart was fluttering with fear. What if she's serious about this? I thought. Jennifer has a lot of ambition. She accomplishes everything to which she sets her mind, whether I'm actively supporting her or not. Where will we get the money to pay for a coach or ice time or any of that, if in fact this "dream" is more than a fleeting interest?

I put my fears to rest by telling myself that Jennifer is young, and that over time she will probably move on to different interests.

Several weeks later, Jennifer's skating teacher approached me at the end of class, and said, "Have you ever thought about getting Jennifer a coach? She picks things up quickly and she could learn a lot faster in a one-on-one setting. If she joins the Chaska figure skating club, she could also compete."

I felt excited for Jennifer--that someone would confirm her dream as a very real possibility. And also dizzy with fear. How in the heck could we pay for this?

Jennifer was dancing up and down, "That's what I want to do, Mommy! That's what I want to do!"

Perhaps sensing my fear, the teacher then added, "I know 'Club' is not as financially feasible an option as group classes, but there are a lot of benefits, too. Skating helped me pay my way through college!"

As we drove home that night, Jennifer was again in the backseat, staring out the window, quietly. I was having a silent, but chatter-filled conversation with God:

Thank you God for dreams! Help me trust you when you say you can make a way when there seems no way! Bless Jennifer's dream-filled heart!

If you're interested, watch this fun little video of Jennifer in her skating class, doing what she loves!