Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Came across this blog today and, as a parent, it really resonated with me about the way in which I'm choosing to raise my kids. Even if you're not a parent, it's a great read...enjoy ; )
By Kevin Smith
"On my 5th birthday, I received a Nintendo Entertainment System. Along with it were two games that I would go on to play for the next three years of my life: Mario and Zelda. I would spend hours playing video games throughout my formative years. When I was tired of playing videos games, I had action figures to toy around with.
Sure, I was on a soccer team but performance didn't matter, we all received trophies at the end of the five game season. Across the park, on the other set of fields, was an area where the competitive youth were stocked and primed. I didn't even understand why being over there made sense. It was more work and less time with Mario and Zelda.
As the story would continue, it would be a solid four or five years before I understood the meaning of proper preparation and the incentives associated with performance. In a family that believed in conditional love, everything was always "ok". Whether I scored one goal or none, scored an A or a C, it didn't matter. Smiles. All the while, I was told to eat certain things or do certain things because "they make you grow healthy and strong!"
Physical performance tends to be a measure before intellectual prowess can be properly documented in youth. This is my assessment as a father of three and a half years. In raising our three year old, Lindsey and I have taken a different approach. Unconditional love for our baby girl? Sure. But her life will be different than my own, different than many of my sedentary counterparts.
Granted, I turned out better than below average. But where I was as a child is not good enough for where she will one day be. Over dinner, Lindsey once said to Alexis, "Eat your vegetables and your sweet potatoes and your chicken." Alexis aptly replied, "Because I am growing healthy and strong?" This response sparks several emotions from me. A) I am proud of her. B) How does she know that she is growing healthy and strong? Does she have a way of determining strength and vitality in comparison to those around her?
For her to understand the power of her decisions and the consequences of every self-investment, she has to have a way of measuring her progress. Oh, and she has to have an actual reason to be healthier and stronger. Let's be real, one of the major motivations for the pursuit of strength and health is to outlast others and improve vitality, and thus - one's likelihood for success.
My adult development did not begin until I realized, in 7th grade, that I had absolute control over my athletic and academic futures. For the first time, I realized that food and fitness mattered. Not only did it affect my ability as a football player but my vitality as a student. This epiphany would have come sooner had my mind not been bogged down by my dear companions, Mario and Zelda.
So what does that mean for my daughter? I will unapologetically raise her to eat and train to grow healthy and strong. Because at this age, it will indelibly lead to her educational growth and her self-propagated desire to prepare and perform. What my parents didn't tell me while I was resting between levels two and three of Super Mario Brothers is this: Winning is important. Winning is important. Winning is important. Losing should sting. And trophies shouldn't be a bandaid for childhood failure. Training and preparing to win is paramount. And preparation should begin the moment you can rationalize on your own. Even as early as three years old.
As the father of the three year old who eats my food, enjoys my $12K per year for education and social development in an Austin Westlake Hills pre-school, and countless other resources attributed to gymnastics, dance, swim, and so on - you may wonder about our intentions. And I'll be honest. I want her to be the best, not the best she can be. But the absolute best. I want her to settle for nothing less than dominance, inside and outside of the classroom.
Because this pattern of thinking shouldn't begin materializing or begin being incentivized in high school. It should begin now. So, my qualms with what my parents taught me about growing healthy and strong is simple. What good is the privilege of growing healthy and strong if you don't have a way to compare or a metric to measure? What's the point of growing and healthy and strong if you aren't motivated to compete and display one's preparation?
What's the point of self-improvement if you have no outlet to realize the advantages of working hard? Don't get me wrong, our daughter will not be pushed beyond her desires to be good or great at something. Those are her decisions. She will not be pushed to develop athletic talents or intellectual proficiencies. My goal is to develop an unquenchable drive, in her, to push herself.
What she will experience is a reason to put down toys to train movement, put her baby dolls down to practice academics, and put the junk food down and eat food that will help her grow healthy and strong. Because in this house, health and strength are measured by ability and performance.
That is our attraction to CrossFit. In her lifetime - and in ours, for that matter - only the strongest will survive and thrive. There is no differentiation between the drive to be a better athlete and the motivation to be a stronger candidate for an exceptional life."
You get caught drunk driving too many times...
WOD
Harvey WallBanger
5FRT
50 Double Unders
12 Ring Dips
18 MB Squat-Clean Wall-Ball
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