Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Mildred. She was born into a loving home with two doting parents and several siblings. The children were homeschooled and could spend time doing things they enjoyed. Mildred loved to paint, and because she had two parents who were deeply invested in their children, they did everything they could to encourage her desire to paint. It didn’t take long to realize that it was more than just a desire. Mildred had some real talent.
Everybody was starting to notice it.
Her parents provided her with some private instruction, purchased as many supplies as they could afford, and encouraged her to enter contests. Mildred would finish her schoolwork as fast as she could so that she could spend all afternoon painting or reading books on famous painters. She was always begging to go to museums. Mildred worked hard on her talent. She won several competitions, and her love of painting grew. Everyone wanted to talk to her about her work, and she received much encouragement to pursue her love of painting.
In fact, a few people even told her parents that she might be a famous painter someday.
They just laughed. Maybe, but probably not. By the time Mildred was in high school, they were traveling outside of their community to support her growth as a talented artist. The whole family would pack up and cheer Mildred on. When it came time for college, Mildred was accepted into a fine art school. While she was there, she had the time of her life, placing in a couple of competitions and learning some new things. Eventually, though, she met a cute boy and got married. She now is a busy homeschooling mother of four and paints on the side. She teaches a homeschool co-op art class twice a month. Mildred wouldn’t change a thing.
Once upon another time, there was a little boy named Buford. He was born into a loving home with two doting parents and several siblings. The children were homeschooled and could spend time doing things they enjoyed. Buford loved baseball, and because he had two parents who were deeply invested in their children, they did everything they could to encourage his desire to play baseball. It didn’t take long to realize that it was more than just a desire. Buford had some real talent.
Nobody seemed to notice.
His parents got him some private instruction, his dad played catch with him every day, and they placed him in a competitive league. Buford would finish his schoolwork as fast as he could so that he could spend all afternoon playing ball, reading about famous baseball players, and watching baseball on tv. He was always begging to go to the batting cages or to the stadium to watch the real guys. Buford worked hard on his talent. He practiced during the off-season and soon was pitching and hitting like a pro. His love of baseball continued to grow. Nobody wanted to talk to him about his love of baseball, and outside of his family, he received little encouragement.
Most people thought it was a waste of time and would never amount to anything anyway.
The family continued to support him, packing up on weekends to travel to other cities and cheer him on. By the time he was in high school, he had college coaches coming out to see him. Buford ended up choosing a small school where he knew he would have the most opportunity to play. While he was there, his team won a couple of big championships, and he had the time of his life with his friends. Eventually, though, he met a cute girl and got married. He is now a busy accountant with four little boys. He coaches little league and plays in a church softball league. Buford wouldn’t change a thing.
For some reason, athletics is a real point of contention for some people. We were a ‘sports’ family, and even though we received grief from a few nay-sayers, it was the best decision we ever made. Contrary to popular myths, we didn’t put our boys in sports because we wanted them to play professionally someday, and we certainly didn’t force them into it, either. We all enjoyed it, and it fostered great relationships between our boys as they supported each other through great victories and tough losses.
Just as God gives people different abilities and talents, He chooses different spheres of influence for each person and family.
So, for those of you who have littles who love sports, say nay to the nay-sayers and keep signing them up!
