Not an Olympic Bowler.

What a whirlwind weekend! We are so spoiled to be able to proudly say we spent time with so many of our favorite people. From John Fogerty on Thursday to coffee with Ashley on Friday and movie nights with Tammy and Jo-elle..not to mention the Big Bike Ride in Austin and the ensuing Bonfire at the Youngs' ... life was truly wonderful. The downside was that Steve has been in the field and all of this fun having was just me and the kids. So, we ventured forth to the metropolis that is Brandon for some much needed family time. Rory declared last week "When do we get to eat at a restaurant again?" and we felt we had somehow been depriving him. Spoiled brat.

Off we go. No immediate plan of action. I with my headache and Steve with his Timmies card...and two kids bickering about what seat they sit in and who sits behind Dad and who would go with Dad to get parts and should we go to McDonald's or Pizza Hunt....should we bowl or see a movie or how about argue all the way to Brandon? That sounded like the most fun so we started off with just that. Upon arrival it was Steve that decided on Chinese food. No one else wanted Chinese food. Food went to the back burner while we decided to sneak up to the bowling alley to 'surprise' the kids. This went over very well. I stayed outside finishing my peppermint tea while Steve went to pay for us and get an alley. Not spending an abundance of time with the kids meant that he somehow had missed them turning 14 and signed us up for 2 games. TWO!!!!! How exciting for two kids with low attention spans!

And this is how bowling for the last 12 hours went...
1) Rory throws one ball.
2) Rory looks at us and starts dancing to the music
3) Rory is reminded he has another 2 balls to throw.
4) Repeat.
5) Kennedy is reminded that she is next.
6) Kennedy stares off into space.
7) Kennedy is reminded again that it is her turn to throw 3 balls.
8) Kennedy throws the ball while looking at the music video playing.
9) Kennedy takes out the next alley's remaining pins.

It was at this point that Steve and I finally bust. It was hilarious. The man at the next alley was very good about it. He did the proper thing and leaned and ooohhh and awwwwed and fist pumped the air because she had made the shot for him.

10) Kennedy started to cry.

I should have seen it coming. Every shot she made was...to say nicely...quite awful. She often confuses baseball with bowling...but I should have seen the disappointment welling up in her scowls and frustration. We were giving her the thumbs up and the high fives but she knew that she wasn't doing well and she didn't like it. This is not something Kennedy is used to. And when did she get so competitive?

We hugged her. We let her sob. I took her to the line again and we worked together at starting fresh. I have to admit though that I was mortified that this poor little girl thought that she was somehow something less than amazing because she couldn't bowl!

It didn't help that Rory was taunting "I have double Kennedy's score!"

We talked. We smiled again. But in that moment I learned something about myself, my parenting and the way our competitive little world works. She is already in the rat race and wants to be at the top. This is not acceptable to me.

After a delightful supper out at the very popular 'Pizza Hunt' (I can't convince Rory it is Hut), and a surprise visit to a friend's house, we drove home to tuck our little bowlers into bed. We thanked the kids for such a fun day. When I asked what their favorite part was though, Kennedy said..."Walking Jackie's Dog." We will keep working at it though...not the bowling...the being proud of having tried something and enjoying it without the aura of "perfection needed."We need to work on not being afraid of failure when trying something new. In trying, we discover new things about ourselves and open the door to new possibilities. That being said, we also need to be able to take ourselves less seriously. It was okay that we thought this moment was funny. Someday Kennedy will laugh too. She would sure laugh if I had done it!