Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The High Cost of Self Esteem (but I'll pay it) !

My youngest is my only daughter.

A total gift in her self.

An average student, but a tremendous young person. I have never seen a girl that enjoyed a math tutoring class as much as she did (it was her very own social club) but it did greatly improve her grade.

Last year she decided to try out for the track team...went to practice every day for two weeks...gave it her all...and was cut on the last day to be replaced by three girls that came to the last two days of the tryouts.

My sore point was "Let her make the stinking team...she doesn't have to run in every meet, but if my girl wants to run...LET HER".

It totally crushed her, mainly because they took her picture with the track team for the yearbook one day and cut her the next.

This year...half way through the year she volunteered to try out as a sub for the Winter Guards (the fancy dancy flag twirlers).

She tried out for the sub position and HOT DOG was asked to finish out the year in their remaining competitions.

The director/choreographer/leader and obviously part time teacher told me when I went to pick her up that she had caught on very quickly and even helped out some of the girls that had been on the team all year.

He told me that I looked so familiar to him and when Massey told him where I worked...that was it! He said I had waited on him several times at the restaurant and that I was a fabulous (a word I think he uses a lot) server. I thanked him and gave my standard reply "I didn't go to college for nothing"!!

He gave the me forms to fill out and some information sheets. Then he hit me square between the deposit slips with "The cost is six fifty", I knew immediately that the decimal point wasn't after the SIX. I think that I threw up in my mouth a little bit.
He quickly came back with that since she was joining halfway through the year we could work out a payment plan with a discount.

Hopefully this means $325.00

As far as a payment plan, I felt like telling him to get in line...I am already on so many payment plans that I feel like the next twenty years have been mapped out for me.

I felt like adding...since I am such a fabulous server, you'll need to be uppin those tips when I wait on you too.

I told my husband that the joy in my daughter's face and the total elation of being good at something and being encouraged was enough for me...I'LL DO IT!!

I can pick up extra shifts and work seven days a week if need be...to have a child not only WANT to be a part of something but actually excel at it is reward enough for me.

The only downside is that if she is THAT good...next year I'll be shelling out the entire $650.00.

I look at it this way...I never had to buy HER braces...both the boys cost me $3500.00 a piece. They aren't in Winter Guard...but they both have an extremely winning smile (thanks to Mom).

All that matters in the end run is that she feels wonderful and a part of something that means the world to her.

I just wonder what precious metal this flag she is twirling is made of? $650.00...

PLEEZEE...talk about inflated pricing!!

I may end up in a bail out package before it is all over...but my little girl is happy, and to me that is all that truly matters.

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