I Love Watching My Girls Play Sports And Learn What It Means To Be Part of A Team

This picture is at our last volleyball game of the season. I am so proud of these girls for so many reasons.

#Superstar didn’t even want to play volleyball when we first started

She’s not really into team sports but it is important to me that the kids try new things so she played and she rocked it.

She became the “high-five queen”, learned a new skill, and gained a lot of confidence. She is already planning on playing next season!

#Minime played last year and has decided that volleyball is her sport.

She is dedicated and focused even when her friends are goofing around. I love to watch her put 250% into volleyball when in other areas she looks for the shortcut (a characteristic that we’ve noticed is fairly common in foster kids). Her hard work paid off as she has become more consistent and confident as well.

More importantly, I watched the girls learn what it means to be a good sport and a good team player.

• They learned to cheer for their teammates in the good plays and the bad.
• They saw poor sportsmanship first hand and did not engage.
• They experienced division in their team and worked to unite their teammates.

They learned these skills by watching their coaches and their parents. I am sad and a bit bothered that my young girls witnessed some poor behavior.

However, it spurred me to become a better example of good sportsmanship myself and fills me with gratitude for the good example their coaches set.

I know that their reaction to any ugliness they encountered mirrored their coach’s reaction just as the opposing team’s behavior mirrored theirs.

Our kids are watching us and they will mirror what we do.

We can model strength and dignity when faced with adversity. Strength is walking away without engaging. Dignity is the understanding that someone else’s behavior will not affect the way I feel about myself.

It is okay for my kids to be competitive because it shows they are passionate about what they are doing. But, they must be kind. I believe that a person can be both: competitive and kind.

So, while I’m so proud of my girls’ ability to hit the volleyball over the net, I am more proud of the people they have become this season.