One of my favorite wedding gifts is this red "You are special today" plate that my friend, Kris, gave to us. Tom and I used to pull it out on a regular basis to celebrate special occasions, birthdays and personal achievements, but it got pushed to the back of the cupboard and had not been enjoyed in quite some time. Until yesterday.
I took Osten to our neighborhood swim team practice to see if it might be something he would be interested in doing this summer. We had a good pep talk on the way to the pool, and all appeared to be well. He was playing in the pool with his friends and having a good time. Until the swim coach called the kids over to start practice. He burst into tears and threw me for quite a loop.
Between sobs, he told me that he was scared. Is this the same kid who just passed the swim test the day before? The one who I had to drag out of the pool? The one who went down the big slide six times in a row? Like I said, he threw me for quite a loop.
I pulled him aside and did my best to reestablish his confidence and explain that Daddy and my job as his parents is to teach him to try new things even when he is scared. He was not convinced.
And then I remembered the special plate. Just as I finished telling him about the plate and promising him that he could eat a dinner of his choice (i.e., macaroni and cheese or a cheese quesadilla) on it when we got home, the coach came over and took his hand. In an instant, I saw a wave of trust wash over his face, and he quickly hugged my neck and kissed my cheek.
I hid behind some other moms and tried to remember to breath as I watched him. He sat on the edge of the pool for a few minutes, but the coach soon coaxed him into the water where he began to kick his little heart out on a kick board.
A few minutes later, he was with a group of kids in the deep end learning how to dive. Still later, he was back in the lap lane working on his freestyle stroke.
He was the smallest and youngest child in the water. As I sat and watched him, I was overcome with pride for our first-born child. It will likely turn out that he is a little young to start swim team. We are going to attempt another practice on Wednesday and then make that decision with the coach. Regardless of whether he joins swim team this summer or not, we think he has already been hugely successful just for overcoming his fear and giving it a shot.
When we got home, as Daddy bathed the kids, I pulled out the stool and dug out the special red plate from the top shelf of the cabinet. I dusted it off and piled it high with a made-to-order cheese quesadilla, strawberries and shredded cheese. It's hard to know for sure, but I think he was pretty proud of himself, too. And Marci asked us repeatedly throughout dinner when it will be her turn to eat off the special plate.
Thank you, Kris, for a fun family tradition that our children are now old enough to enjoy. In anticipation of many more and frequent occasions worthy of the special plate, I've moved it to a lower shelf!
