We are not quitters … except today. Today we quit.

At the beginning of this cheer season I convinced Victoria to do another year even though she told me she didn’t really want to. I remembered how much fun she had last year and how much fun my mom and I had and I really thought that once she got going again that she would start to enjoy it again. She didn’t. For many reasons, but mainly it’s that she doesn’t feel encouraged and cared for by her coaches which is actually a huge deal when your any age but especially seven.

But like every other sport we’ve done, she knew that once she said yes that I would never let her go back on it because she made a commitment and “we’re not quitters”. So she’s been taking it for the last month and a half just doing work, complaining a little, but not as much as I would if I was her.

Last week, I really felt the Lord start to soften my heart towards this situation and I clearly heard Him say to me, “it’s damaging your connection” … yikes! Immediately, I felt shame and guilt. And then I heard Him say, “Stop it, you can repair your connection, it’s never too late”. I then remembered all of the sports that she’s done (Ballet, Tap, Gymnastics, Cross Country, Softball, Basketball, Cheer, Swimming) some of which she’s liked and some not so much, but she’s always followed through like a champ and I knew what I had to do.

I sat on it for a couple days and then today, I broke the news to her. I asked her to tell me once again how she feels about cheer. And she immediately started to well up with tears. She told me how it’s not fun and how her coaches talk really “stern” and how they ask her to dance in front of everyone and that really embarrasses her and that she didn’t like it. Then I asked her if she knew why I hadn’t let her quit and she acknowledged that it was because she made a commitment.

And then I shared my heart with her. I told her that my intention when convincing her to sign up was for her to enjoy herself once again and that I am really proud of her hard work and that I saw her being a champ and working hard. I told her that I was sorry for making her feel bullied or like she didn’t have a choice and I told her that our connection and caring for her heart is my most important responsibility in the whole world. Her face lit up and then I told her that I was going to make an exception this time to our ‘no quitting rule’ and let her quit cheer. She immediately jumped off her bed and hugged me so tightly and I knew that our connection had been restored.

Once again, I’m so thankful that I don’t have to do this parenting thing alone. He is with me every step of the way letting me know when I’m making a wrong turn and gently correcting my path. If you’re a mom (or a dad) you know what it’s like. Constantly trying to make the very best decisions for your little but fearing that somehow, someday you’re going to realize that you missed something and now they’ve got a huge issue to work through as an adult. Can I get an amen? But truthfully, it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m so covered and obviously cared for by my Jesus that I know my connection with her is and will continue to be a beautiful representation of His love and that’s really all that I could ever want out of this whole parenting thing.

I hope my lesson blesses whatever season you’re in right now and I hope that you know that it’s never too late to turn around and say “Oh no! I was wrong, I’m so sorry”.