The big news in this household is that Ads recently made it to the Virginia State cricket team (yes, there is one! One of the very few state teams in the US). I am beyond happy for a variety of reasons.
- He continues to follow his passion, in a new country and new environment and has been pursuing cricket in one form or another for about 6 years now. This is the same kid who thought sports are a waste of time.
- Playing at this level of competition gives him a definite leg-up in college applications (yes, I am a desi mom that way!)
- Being a highly academically-oriented person, he needs an activity that will take him away from studies and books, and cricket has been that activity for years.
- An introvert benefits hugely from team sports. It provides much-needed socialization, soft skills, builds resilience, and helps them learn with loss and defeat with equanimity.
- High school in this country is stressful and children, starting from middle-school onwards, need exceptional time and energy management skills. If his workload this year is heavy, next year (junior year) will be even toughter with more AP courses, SAT prep, and college apps. Cricket will focus his mind, give him fresh air, exercise, and relieve some of the stress, which is what I am hoping.
He came back from playing the Bilateral series on Sunday and I innocently asked him to take some rest. He looked at me with great scorn. "And who will do my work, Amma?"
He worked that night until 11.30 :(
And here I am, begging my six year old to do at least half an hour of writing practice everyday while he skips and plays all day :)
ReplyDeleteLife gives us all phases and flavours I guess :)
Congratulations to him and you for keeping his sports passion alive among all the 'must do' stuff! That is a great challenge in one's child and adult life too.
Thank you, Aarthy...yes indeed life gives us all flavours. Sports has been a must-do for us :)
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