I regularly lament that my parents didn’t lay more solid foundations of athleticism and love of sport for me at an early age. As the daughter of a long time marathoner and his wife the “anti-athlete” (who frequently regaled us with accounts of the F’s she received in high school gym) it is a mystery as to how what little sport I came to embrace, I came to on my own. The things that define me – a love of words, language, and communication – are the loves I am passionate about imparting unto my children. Conversely, the things I have always lacked but admired in others – natural athleticism, coordination, grace, physical strength – are also things I wish to afford my children. My struggle inspires efforts to set them up for an easier escape into really loving health and fitness. It’s the kind of gift that when properly cultivated, can last a lifetime.
I signed my girls up for swim last week, a surprise reintroduction to group activities after nearly a one year hiatus. So masks, screens, and isolation have stolen away a critical window of time when I wanted them to gain the skill. But more than that, I not-so-secretly long for one of my girls to be a swimmer. I never received formal swim instruction as a child, instead I learned to survive playing one summer in a 4ft aluminum above ground pool. Peer pressure and my trust in physics compelled me to jump off the high dive for the first time at age 12. As for formal instruction, I learned the basics of a front crawl and swim breathing technique at the ripe old age of 36. Postpartum swimming seemed like an agreeable sport for my aching hips and weakened core. My evenings in the pool were a welcomed escape from the long endless days of my maternity leave with two kids still in diapers. Under the water, I was weightless and strong yet too easily out of breath. Swimming is hard! I learned a lot, but suspected had I gained a basic swim vocabulary at an earlier age, I might have learned even more. It’s not unlike the bilingualism I’m so passionate about. Whether or not my kids use their second language with any regularity as adults, the foundations are there. They will forever have easier access to brushing up their Spanish, and a brain better suited for acquiring additional languages in the future.
But instead of swimming, I was thrust too late onto the basketball court (also at age 12) with no prior training, and no internal motivation to play. I don’t miss it. I do regret the missed chance to swim or play any sport that would serve my aging body well today. Nowadays I swim when I can, but I run, because that is what I saw growing up. That was the sport I was immersed in, and came to respect by way of my father’s example. If I do nothing else for my daughters, it is my hope that my example of fitness inspires them to find their own escape into athleticism someday. But while they are still too young to choose for themselves, I have every intention of saturating their spongy plastic brains with motor plans galore! Foundations in preparation for fitness fluency.
www.parents.com/fun/sports/exercise/teach-your-child-to-love-a-sport/
Bilingual SuperNoVAs 