My daughter used to nap a lot. Not just when she was a toddler, but now as she comes home from high school, she’d take a nap. Wakes up, grabs a small bite to eat and then get ready for swimming practice. Then she comes home to finish dinner, do a bit of homework and then go back to bed.
Between catching up on homework on the weekends, studying for tests and exams, her part-time job, social time with friends and of course, family time, she is always exhausted. Like my old work routine, she welcomed Fridays but dreaded Sunday nights.
Then I said to my daughter, “School is your job. Even though it’s not a legal requirement as you technically don’t need to stay in school at 16, but if you want to fulfil your ambitions, you’ll need to stay in school for a good many years. The only thing that matters to you is your academic preparation for higher education. This is a springboard. School is your first job.”
My daughter paused. The magnitude of that statement hit her. I continued, “Look at some of the swimmers in your own club who is groomed for the Olympics. One swims 10 times a week and has 3 dryland workouts—that is a minimum of thirteen practices per week! His school is arranged around his practice times. He doesn’t have other extracurriculars and he doesn’t have a part-time job. His only vocation is swimming.”
I think framing her high school as an ‘entry level job’ gave her a whole new perspective.
I continued, “You like watching baseball? Those athletes are paid big bucks not just to play 9-innings. Their training is extensive. They have meals brought to them, doctors and physiotherapists as part of the team. They are paid well so that they don’t need to worry about anything else other than playing baseball for the owner of the club. Baseball is their job and if they underperform, the player will not get renewed.”
Those comments sunk in like lead weights.
She recalled a few years back when she walked away from her music school to focus on her swimming career. As she enters Junior grade of high school, there’ll be more demands scholastically. She could be at the precipice of another decision.
“I’m not suggesting you quit swimming or drop anything you are currently doing,” I told my daughter. “But you’ll need to prioritize and be very aware of how much time you spend on things. You should also plan the times you need to unplug and recharge; you can’t leave this out either. Just like pro athletes plan recovery times with pauses between games, ‘nothing’ is something you need to plan to do as well!” She remembers her shoulder tendonitis which took her out of swimming for months and the coach planned her gradual reentry.
“Some people are born to be a baseball pitcher. Or swim at Olympic levels. Or play for an international orchestra. You’ve been blessed with the brains to chase after your dreams.”
We ended this conversation with her deep in contemplation. I think framing her high school as an ‘entry level job’ gave her a whole new perspective.
