Generation NeXt Parenting

Celebrating Diligence

Last week my daughter's basketball team won the MCAA's (Montana Christian Athletic Assocation) state tournament! They have an amazing coach, and they were undefeated all season.

Some of the games were VERY close, including the championship game--enough to make me lose my voice from cheering. You can see the photos at: www.fvhscrusaders.blogspot.com

Of course, while winning a championship is great, what it really comes down to is what's in the heart. Here's a little story-behind-the-win.

We stood in the middle of the grocery store aisle, staring at the cubes of cheese, and my 14-year-old daughter was in tears."Mom, I can't do this. I don't like anything on this list." The state basketball tournament was soon approaching, and her coach had placed the team on a strict, low-carb food plan. Though my daughter is thin, the food on the list definitely was NOT her favorite items. (No chips and salsa, no French bread, no cookies, none of her other starchy favorites.) And although it was a little thing, the thought of having to stick to the list for a week stressed her out--and this wasn't the first time she was in tears over it.To me, the food plan wasn't a crisis. If this was the worst my daughter had to live through, then we all should rejoice. Yet, as a mom I had to consider two things: 1) This DID matter to my daughter. 2) It also mattered to the coach. It was my job to let my daughter understand I did care about her concerns. Yet, I also had to teach her the importance of respect . . . even when she doesn't agree with those in authority. (And believe me, she did not agree with having to cut out the junk food!)

In the end we did three things:
1) We communicated. John and I talked to Leslie about healthy eating. We talked about authority placed over us. We talked about good foods to try. We talked, talked, talked.

2) We work together to make a plan. Since we were out-of-town for three days we chose restaurants that had pleanty of healthy food choices. We chose buffets with salad bars. We also shopped at the grocery store for items we could keep in our hotel room.

3) We celebrated success. When the game was won and the strict food-plan was history, we celebrated with dessert. We told our daughter how proud we were of her following through, and we offered her a choice of sweet treats. Even in the Bible, people are offered rewards for diligence. Sometimes, with our own kids, it's easy to forget that.

Oh yes, and while we didn't always follow the food plan with Leslie ... we had fun celebrating together! We celebrated the victory and we celebrated the diligence behind it!

posted by Tricia Goyer @ 9:06 AM