It started with swim lessons. I took the boys a few times a week. That presupposes that as a parent you can do that. My parents could not. My mother took my brother and me to Zuma beach on the weekends and we swam in the ocean and body surfed while she slept--she worked graveyard at UPS five nights a week. Those were my swim lessons (perfect lesson for me--I still, at 53, feel like my best self if I've been in the ocean today). But for Diego and Charlie, swim lessons led to a local swim team. And swim team led to junior guards at the beach and water polo in the pool.
Here, the boys found their thing. Diego, never good with balls but better with individual sports like rock climbing, skate boarding, surfing, biking, etc, eventually, with his junior guard exposure found sailing. He first took sailing classes at the Morro Bay Yacht Club, perhaps the least pretentious yacht club in California, and then taught as an instructor. He called Derek and me this morning as he was driving to the marina where he had found a spot as crew on a sailboat for today.
Charlie, however, is good with balls. He played varsity water polo last year as a junior and this year, as a senior, is the team's captain. This weekend they had a tournament and today they won both their games... their team has two seniors, Charlie and his friend Kody, while most of the teams they played this weekend have MANY seniors. The games today especially were RIVETING--and they beat really tough teams. When I hear his alarm go off at 5 a.m. and hear him stumble out of bed, I am astounded and proud. Usually, I just stay in bed marveling at his dedication.
It strikes me again and again, how fragile mental health is, how being involved in things contributes to it. Structure, connection, goals, community, coaching and mentoring--just being involved. I went through some dark times as a kid, the times that I felt most disconnected and alone. I get it. I see even more now how being part of something, anything, positive--drama, ceramics, flag football, water polo, surfing, photography, choir, youth group, mountain biking, year book, etc.!--can make kids feel more connected and thrive.
We coudn't afford anything like these programs when I was a kid. But my god, these things are so good for kids and things that are grow good kids make for thriving, positive communities. There is a program we've donated to for years: PEAK: Promoting Extracurricular Activities for Kids. Here's their tagline:
PEAK understands that for students in San Luis Obispo, California, extracurricular activities such as sports, music, dance, scouting, and drama provide an essential part of their’ educational and social growth. Just imagine how rewarding it feels for a child to excel in a non-academic arena and how that success can improve self-esteem, teach valuable skills, and lead to lifetime interests or even careers.
Yes. Yes. Yes. I have seen my kids thrive with classes and activities involving sports and arts, with the tutelage and mentoring of caring, creative, and dedicated teachers and coaches.
If you can do this for your kids, do it. And if you can afford to help other kids in San Luis Obispo do it, here's where to donate.
Comments