Tomorrow is Sports day for the older two kids. Shakeel (12) made me promise not to come and watch him. He takes things like this more seriously than Tharaa (9) does. She couldn't care whether I'll be there or not- Sports Day is pretty much just a day off from school. I can't help but envy her devil-may-care attitude.
Shakeel is participating in the shot put, long jump and 100m sprint. He's been stressing about it for a few days now, so I suggested that he jump on my Orbitrek elliptical trainer, since the parks around here aren't really suitable for children. (Instead they seem to be frequented by junkies and drunks- I'm just assuming but why else would grown men lie around sleeping on the grass in a children's playground all day?).
Tharaa is participating in the same events, though she hasn't shown any inclination nor felt the need to train at home. I love that she is so relaxed about it- she is so unlike her mother.
Admittedly, Shakeel's over-the-top need to succeed makes my job easier when it comes to formal assessments and tests. Most of the time I don't have to nag him too much to study (although he does have his moments). Tharaa, on the other hand is more consistent with her who-gives-a crap attitude, which I regard with a mixture of envy and frustration (depending on the situation).
About tomorrow, I didn't forget to give them the whole speech that "its not about winning, just do your best and have fun". To Tharaa this speech was a waste of my breath, since it is most likely what she had been planning to do anyway. Shakeel just made me promise for the twenty-fifth time that I would not set foot near the field.
I must admit that I am a bit disappointed at him not wanting me there tomorrow- it probably speaks volumes about our relationship. On the upside though, I was not looking forward to spending a whole day carrying around my clingy 23 month old at the field. Although now I'm probably just trying to make myself feel better and a bit less rejected.
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