Tonight I am so sad about something that will seem trivial in a few years. Heidi did not make it into the ALPS program. Scott has really thrived under Mrs. Conklin and I was excited for Heidi to do the same. I had worked hard with Scott doing "home school" with him the year that he was 5 but still too young for Kindergarten. When I realized how little academics they actually did in Kindergarten, I cooled it off with Heidi. Well, apparently she didn't make the grade. She is a smart little girl and can read better than Scott could, but she did poorly on her test. When I told her that the tests thought that she couldn't read very well, even though we knew that she could, she started to cry. She said, "The only thing I do sometimes in class is call out when I shouldn't." I have been so thrilled with Mrs Conklin and really don't think any teacher could match her. The options left are a pain-- 1- Go to Oak Hollow on a year-round schedule which conflicts with Scott's traditional schedule and therefore don't have a family vacation. The plus to this one would be that she would be with friends from the neighborhood. Maybe that would be a great thing if she made deeper friendships. 2-- Go to Summit Charter school if there is anyway to get in (you were supposed to register in Jan). This would be a pain in that I'd be part of 2 carpools. The plus side would be that Katie Clayton goes there and Heidi considers Katie her best friend. The Pillings, Browns, Pogues, and Murdochs all go there. I also have heard that they are working at 1 grade level above. They are also on a traditional cycle which is good. 3-- Go to Alta View. This would be easier on the car pool, but not good socially as the neighborhood is so far away and that would be the other kids going there, and I haven't heard great things about the school academically for the non ALPS kids.
Anyway, my heart is a bit broken for Heidi. I love her and hope that this year will work out for the best. She is my precious daughter and I want her to have the opportunity to succeed in school in a positive environment with good friends. Maybe that's too much to ask for.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
The price of a hobby
It's late, I need to get ready for preschool in the morning, do dishes, pack, etc., but I need to get some feelings out so that I can move on. Today I went to Brett Pendleton's funeral. He died at age 49 from skiing into a tree. He was an avid ski racer, a paraglider, a sky diver, a triathlete, scuba diver, etc. etc. Someone said with all of his risky sports that it was a wonder he didn't die sooner.
Anyway, what happened to Shawna is one of my nightmares that I realize is a possibility. Rich does some of these risky things like back country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and biking to work. A lot of the reason that we do these sports is to improve our health and our enjoyment of life. I guess it just makes me wonder about the real cost of these hobbies. Rich's hobbies already cost our family a large amount of money, a tremendous amount of time, and a chunk of emotional energy and focus. As I get more seriously involved in training for and racing in triathlons I often wonder about the cost. What is the cost to me personally and to my family? There are some great rewards, such as feeling great, feeling good about my body, being on an emotional high, having something to discuss in depth with Rich, etc. but there are also some costs. I wonder if I am missing out on spending time with my children. I wonder if there is increasing chaos in our home because of the time I have spent lately on the Wasatch Revolution tri team. I wonder if I am slacking in my spiritual exercises. Actually lately a lot of the time has been spent on building up this team. Perhaps I shouldn't have taken on the task. It's just that I can almost do it all. But with training, cub scouts, work, V.T., young children, volunteering in the schools, preschool, etc. it is too much. I am being stretched too thin. I think I'm going to try to get out of preschool and hope the team responsibilities die down a little. In each area I could be doing more, but now have to be satisfied with what I can give.
Anyway, what happened to Shawna is one of my nightmares that I realize is a possibility. Rich does some of these risky things like back country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and biking to work. A lot of the reason that we do these sports is to improve our health and our enjoyment of life. I guess it just makes me wonder about the real cost of these hobbies. Rich's hobbies already cost our family a large amount of money, a tremendous amount of time, and a chunk of emotional energy and focus. As I get more seriously involved in training for and racing in triathlons I often wonder about the cost. What is the cost to me personally and to my family? There are some great rewards, such as feeling great, feeling good about my body, being on an emotional high, having something to discuss in depth with Rich, etc. but there are also some costs. I wonder if I am missing out on spending time with my children. I wonder if there is increasing chaos in our home because of the time I have spent lately on the Wasatch Revolution tri team. I wonder if I am slacking in my spiritual exercises. Actually lately a lot of the time has been spent on building up this team. Perhaps I shouldn't have taken on the task. It's just that I can almost do it all. But with training, cub scouts, work, V.T., young children, volunteering in the schools, preschool, etc. it is too much. I am being stretched too thin. I think I'm going to try to get out of preschool and hope the team responsibilities die down a little. In each area I could be doing more, but now have to be satisfied with what I can give.
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