Monday, February 22, 2010

Athletic vs. Creative

A week ago, I wrote about Smart vs. Popular.

I thought, I'd continue to write about the "would you rather" game as Lumpy's birthday approaches.

I can't remember from our conversation which side of the fence Buttin is on, but I think I may have convinced him of my view point.

If I had to make a choice for Lumpy - it would be Athletic.

I am certainly more athletic than I am creative; however, Buttin is probably more creative than athletic. I think part of my reasoning is that I would be more comfortable with a child more like me (kind of goes back to the whole Girl vs. Boy discussion).

I have creative moments, but if asked, I'm sure 9 out of 10 friends would agree that I fall more on the athletic side. I feel very strongly about the discipline being a student-athlete taught me. I'm grateful that even though my eating habits aren't always stellar (maybe you've heard I subsist on a diet mainly of fried cheese and Cadbury Eggs), I consider exercise (right now, jog waddling) to be an important part of my life.

As an athlete (especially in an individual sport, where a clock determined the winner), I learned many important lessons for life that I would also like for Lumpy to learn:
  • Not everyone is equally good at everything; however, we all have strengths.
  • Talent will only get you so far - you must practice, train and learn to manage your time.
  • You do not need to brag about how good you are - the clock will do it for you.
  • Sometimes even when you do EVERYTHING right, you don't win.
  • Wining isn't everything.
  • Competition is healthy.
  • Mental toughness is as (if not more) important than physical ability.
  • Be a gracious loser, but an even more gracious winner.
I'm sure there were several more lessons that I learned, but this is a good start for Lumpy.

I just really hate the whole, "we're all winners" parenting style that seems to be more popular now (Buttin calls it the "pussification of our youth"). Read any article about Generation Y and they were all coddled a little too much for my taste.

I'm sure that being creative - you learn some valuable life lessons too - some of which, I probably missed. However, my choice for Lumpy would be athletic.

1 comment:

  1. LOL, that is exactly what my hubby calls generation Y. I have to say, we've agree to stay away from certain athletic programs for our kids - you know, the ones where no one loses and everyone wins. WTH does that teach anyway???

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