Let the Games Begin

Child "A" showing contentment with cleaning tools

As the Olympic Games begin, we'll spend considerable time on the couch marveling at the accomplishments of the athletes. While watching gymnastics and swimming it's tempting to imagine, "Aw, my kid could do that." But we know it took years of sacrifice to prepare for these feats, and most of us don't choose that path for our families.
My husband and I decided early on that although we had great kids, we would not subject them to the rigors of sports. We chose instead to subject them to the rigors of musical performance and housecleaning.
Our choice was a half right. Today, we are the parents of outstanding house cleaners. The time we spent coaching them in toilet ring removal has been rewarded with gleaming commodes in all their homes.

Child "B" visibly bored with musical performance

The investment of time and money into their musical training hasn't yet paid off.  Just as with athletics, musical training eats up family time and money. Days that could have been spent at the beach were spent botching Bach over and over again. The miles we drove to music lessons could have taken us to Carnegie Hall. It's for darn sure our musical talent didn't take us there.
These days you'll find us at our grandchildren's sports and musical events. We're the ones yawning.