Kids and sports…

Well, the Spring volleyball season has started at our local community center. And Griffin’s gotten her team assignment and had her first practice. She’s very excited about her teammates. Some are friends and some aren’t, but there’s also a handful of the vball wizards in the mix.

Griffin’s no slouch, but because she’s slight of frame and a little shorter than her peers, she’s at a minor disadvantage. Although, I should back up… that was her status as of the end of the last vball season. She has definitely put on some height, and I think she’s definitely built some strength, so I do expect her to perform more consistently this year (muscle memory and all).

But the good (bad?) thing is that she’s a fierce competitor and takes mistakes personally. It’s a tough parenting balance because I want to encourage her to succeed, but I try to temper that with the “it’s just a game” speech.

I do love that she gets excited about her teammates, and she’s encouraging and enthusiastic. She gets fired up when she needs to. Sometimes that’s a liability (technical mistakes and such), but at this age and level of play, those are certainly forgivable. I much prefer seeing the excitement.

Volleyball season runs through the end of the school year and she’s going to have to miss a few games, but she does love it and I love watching her play.

Oh, and Meredith pointed out that we now have some kid-related sports practice every night of the week except Friday. Whee (small price to pay, though, right?).