Wednesday 6 June 2012

Do not believe the box....

when it says: "Easy to assemble. Well, actually, we all know that but somehow we cling onto that myth time and again just to once again....ugh!. On Sunday the boys got big boy bikes (big excitement!) but they came in boxes, to be assembled at home. And yes, there was some frustration involved. What I can tell you is that there is a learning curve to assembling a bicycle and the second one took about a quarter of the time that the first one took.
What I can also tell you is that it took the boys one go up the driveway (quite a steep incline) and down to master the basics, and away they were.



The Princess got a hockey stick and ball due to her huge enthusiasm and good performance after her first hockey tournament. Yes, she had exactly two practices, and on Saturday played her first mini hockey tournament. And no, it's not because she is great or anything, everybody gets a chance as long as they have mastered the basic skills which thanks to last year's Playball, she did. She LOVED the hockey and went into the first game as a forward and was used in the second game as the same position. She enjoyed being in the thick of things, right at the ball and had huge fun.

Speaking of that, we had a taste this Saturday of possible future weekends to come - while I was with the Princess at the mini hockey tournament, Hunter and the boys attended their first rugby day. It was super cute and the boys had lots of fun, especially playing a game against their dads after their game and having the chance to tackle dad. The boys played against each other and true to their personalities according to Hunter. L was right there int he thick of things while C waited away from the action to steal the ball and score two tries. Regardless of it all, they loved it.

It is our philosophy to not only encourage an active lifestyle as a family, walking together, cycling and playing ball etc at home, but also to encourage our kids to do sport at school. We will never pressurize them into doing something specific (apart from swimming which we feel is a life skill and safety issue more than just a sport), but as long as they try their very best and enjoy and participate in some sport, we are happy parents.

So what is your take on sports and the kids? And what did you do this weekend?

15 comments:

  1. I love that you guys are so sporty. All I can say is if mine take after D and me, they'll be outstanding readers but nothing else LOL

    Actually that's why we said we will definitely encourage our kids to be more active.

    I don't think we'll have a problem with Connor.... kendra could take it or leave it :)

    LOVE the pics! And a great time to have some solo time with A.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I also love to encourage sports! I actually had an experience with the eldest that she did not partake in sports while she was in primary school. (Huge issues with the non-Dad who used to sit at school *sigh*) She always had to do catch-up in High school because she really wanted to play, but was not considered and did not have the skills the others had at that stage. So encourage from very small so that they can see what they like!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kiara doesnt care much for sports but Cameron lives and breathes it!

    He does everything they offer at school and would do more if we could afford more.

    He loves it and so we stand on the sidelines and cheer :)

    I do try and insist Kiara does one form of sport a term but this term she has her extra reading and extra class work twice a week so it is a bit much for her to still do a sport - she tires extremely easily :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you guys are possibly doing what is most needed for her right now. There will always be sports in future.

      Delete
  4. We completely agree! We're very much into walking and very light hiking right now. Our girls can easily walk a couple of miles in the neighborhood, and I love it! My hubby and I always remark how bizarre it is to see so many kiddos in strollers at the zoo...older kids, too! Maybe it's "easier" for parents to just push their kids around...but what kind of fun is it for the kid, and what kind of example is it, too? (The funny thing is that our girls refer to any and all kids in strollers as "babies"...they'll give an enthusiastic "Hi, Baby!" to even a six-year old! HA!)

    We love to go to the park and climb around and kick the soccer ball. Although sports here start really early (3 is very common), my hubby is of the belief that we wait at least another year before we get our girls involved in any structured team. I can't wait to see them run around on the soccer field (at least I hope they'll want to do that, too!).

    Glad your boys took to their bikes so quickly! We have GOT to get it in gear and get bikes for our girls...they outgrew their trikes and we sold them a couple of months ago already. And I love seeing the huge smile on Miss A's face on the hockey field! Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bulletjie rugby! I remember this with my son. It was so much fun :)
    Love the bikes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do want my kids to be active. Swimming is a must and so both kids do swimming. Bianca also does netball and cheerleading (which is actually more like gymnastics in the sense that it involves a lot of flexibility training) and Caitlyn also decided to do cheerleading. She is a bit young to do more than that right now. We never force our kids to do anything specific (other than the swimming) and like you as long as they do their best we are happy.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hooray for big kid bikes! Looks like your boys got the hang of it faster than my girls. :)

    I LOVE that your little girl plays hockey! How cool!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very cool that your kids love sport and that you give them a chance to participate. Driving to and from school was always an issue for my mom, I only really started playing a bit of hockey in high school because I was in boarding school and I didn't need anyone to take me there.

    Nicola already has better ball sense than I do! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do think A has better ballsense than me too!

      Delete
  9. I also want to encourage an active lifestyle and sports but also don't mind what sports she does as long as she does something. I was terrible at ball sports when I was little (and still am) and although I did school sports all three siblings tended to do sports that the schools did not offer. I only realise now what an expense this must have been for my folks.
    Our sports ranged from Roller Skating (yes, seriously as a sport competitive and all - there was no ice rink in PE)
    Horse riding
    Windsurfing and golf.

    I think that because my parents encouraged such diversity we just enjoyed being active and have kept it up into our 30s and 40s. All 3 of us have now done Ironman.

    I hope that Little OL will see that I still enjoy it and take that with her.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those bikes look great - you obviously did a great job in assembly! And I love that your kids are doing rugby, it seems so foreign to me to have that be a normal sports option!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think you definitely have the right idea...keep them active, but let them pick what it is that they do!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love kids and sports. Especially when they find something they like. Some like team sports which are great for learning to work with others and individual sports (Phoebe does figure skating) that make them compete against themselves. Both I think teach that when you like something and you work hard, you get a great feeling of accomplishment.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good for you all allowing and encouraging the physical activity and family fun! Little Miss' smile speaks VOLUMES!

    Love to you and your crew. :)

    ReplyDelete

So what's on your mind?