I let my kids quit

I used to think I wouldn't let my kids "quit" things. If they signed up, they were committed. Whether they chose the activity or not. Whether they liked it or not. They could handle a session or season or whatever.

You just don't quit. Period.

And with H, that's been easy. H loves everything. And excels at everything.

Okay, that's not 100% true. She didn't truly love soccer the way she does ballet and gymnastics and swimming and...you get the point. But she certainly liked it enough to be asking pretty much weekly when she gets to do it again. So she did like it. And she wasn't like amazing or anything. I think J's soccer player is going to be B, truthfully. And no, not because he's a boy. But because he really was good. At not even 18 months old back when H was doing soccer he was better than most of the 4 year olds. And I'm not saying this because I'm biased; I'm saying this because every one else watching him kept saying it.

Anyway, back to point.

No quitting.

I signed B up for his first swimming lessons. I feel guilty that it took me this long, truthfully. H has been in swimming lessons since she was 6 months old. She's a water bug.

B...well, B, not so much. He doesn't exactly love the water as is. He likes it enough, for sure. In small doses. He's a lot like his momma. But truly loves it? No. Not yet, anyway.

We did his first swim lesson yesterday.

He loathed it.

He talked about it all day, saying he didn't want to go back. J and I both talked to him at separate times about it, trying to figure out if he didn't really want to go back, why, etc., etc. (Yes, he's two. Yes, he's still a human being).

Ultimately, we decided to pull him from the swimming lessons.

Something I thought I'd never do.

I never thought that I'd let my kids quit something.

And then I had kids.

And I had B.

And I realized I know nothing, and my kids are totally in control of their own lives.

He has other things he loves to do. Gymnastics. Ballet. He loves ballet so much. If he could do it every day, I know he would. No questions asked.

So even though he's little, I will happily let him do the things he loves. And I won't push the things he doesn't. Especially when it's an extracurricular anyway. If he doesn't love swimming, then he doesn't love swimming. And that's okay.

I'll help him foster and work on the things he does love.

Because in the end, those are the things that matter.

Not the things he quits.