Qualifying

Oh, the drama! Today was the qualifier meet for the upcoming Maine USA State Track Meet. If you didn't make it into the top 4 today, you won't go to that meet. 2 of our girls had back-to-back events early in the morning, and both of them qualified by placing 2nd & 3rd consecutively. That left one more sister who hadn't even competed yet, and who was getting very worried about whether or not she would be able to go to the State Meet too. She cried several times throughout the morning, and I told her over and over again that it didn't matter because as far as we were concerned she was already a winner as long as she was having fun and tried her hardest in her upcoming events.

She came up to me again, just before her 800 meter race, wrapped her arms around me and started sobbing, telling me how she couldn't do it and how unfair it was that she wasn't going to be able to go to 'States' and her sisters were already going. I pushed her away and with tears in my eyes told her that I was done. I was tired of consoling her because she obviously wasn't listening. I told her that if it meant that much to her, then she needed to earn it and she was going to have to do better than her best. I am not the type of parent to push my kids to win, but in that moment I felt that's what she needed. I told her flat out that if she wanted to go to States that bad, then she had better remember how to count and if there were more than 3 girls in front of her, then she needed to pass them! She was shocked to hear this coming from me, but it dried her tears and hardened her resolve. You know what? She's going to 'States'...