But Please Keep Your Feet on the Ground

Let's just put it out there: freestyle aerialists are nuts. The kids and Chris were watching the Olympic competition on Sunday and I could hear them exclaiming with every takeoff: "Woah!" "Look how high he is!" "Those guys are crazy!" "How do they do that?" Even Drew was getting in on the action, yelling "Aaah!" from every takeoff until landing. After watching several athletes complete their flights, Chris asked the kids, "Would you guys ever do that?" To my great relief, Carter immediately shouted "No way!". But Haley paused for just a second and then replied, "If I was good at it."While I dearly hope I never have to sit through a freestyle aerials event in which Haley is a competitor, I was happy to hear her answer. I've always been hesitant to try new things because I don't like to get hurt and I don't like to fail. I have stayed safe, but I know that I've missed out on a lot of experiences in life. So I've been trying to teach Haley that she can do anything she wants to - hard things, scary things - if she works for it. I was so glad to hear that she knows it's true. But maybe now I need to start teaching her the difference between courage and recklessness, because four concussions is seriously enough for one family.