It was a full week last week, not that when you have children they are not all full weeks, but there was a little more to deal with this time. My daughter has started riding horses and she absolutely loves it. She loves everything about it and is really good at it. She is not a competitive person. She prefers activities that don’t involve winning and losing. She loves to draw, and sing, and now she rides horses. But she is also learning many life lessons along the way.
It was a painful week as the horse she first met and liked the most was very sick and because of his age, he was put down. It has been an emotional week in our house. Lots and lots of tears, but also lots and lots of hugs. We shelter our kids from a lot of things. We want them to remain children as long as humanly possible, because I think those innocent years are going to shape who they are and make them better people. But it is gut wrenching when you hear your little daughter talk in her sleep that she wants to ride her horse one more time.
It hasn’t been an easy week for my son either. As a goalie he learned a lot. His team was without four really good players and things did not go as well as they could have. We lost 11-1 and 14-2 this weekend. He was in net for half of the 11-1 loss and for the whole 14-2 glory, but something strange happened this weekend. We turned this into an exceptional learning experience. When you face seventy one shots. When you play three games in one, it takes a very special little boy to say yes, when yours coach asks you if you want to go back in, after being pulled to compose yourself.
I have learned this weekend that my son is resilient. He has many things to learn and much to practice but he has demonstrated time and time again that he has some mental toughness. I think this is very important. You can’t just will mental toughness. It is something that has to be developed and nurtured over time.
I’m so proud of both of my children this week. Both struggled with some pretty substantial things and they did it with a beautiful smile. A little gut wrenching, but such a great week to be a father. This is what life is all about. Sharing who you are and what you know with those that look up to you and want to listen.
Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@gohrhyyan
