Amanda Lamb: Buck up, buttercup

These days, parents spend a lot of time trying to make sure their children don’t have to deal with anything uncomfortable. In many ways, this is a disservice. The result is that when they have to deal with something challenging or uncomfortable, it can cause a lot of anxiety.

For example, any kind of activity that a child participates in out of school requires them to learn how to balance their priorities. Time management is a valuable skill at any age, and if you don’t learn it when you’re young, it will be that much harder to learn as an adult.

My daughter dances many hours a week, and, as a result, she has to figure out when to complete her homework. She also has to figure out how to fit in social life. She somehow manages to make this happen on a weekly basis. Sure, there are moments when I think she’s doing too much, and I try to slow her down. Because she has my DNA, I know slowing down is not in her nature. As her mother, I have to spot the moments when it’s time to put on the brakes.

I believe these negotiations, these life lessons about balancing time and balancing responsibilities with the things that we really are passionate about, are critical to raising a well-adjusted adult.

Last week, my daughter’s dance group was scheduled to dance in the Apex Christmas parade. Her dance school has been dancing in Christmas parades for many years, and they do it rain or shine. This year, it happened to be rain, but despite the messy weather, she and her friends smiled and tapped all the way to the end. She was wet, her makeup was running down her face, but she still had fun and honored her commitment.

So, my takeaway from this is that she has learned that sometimes things are going to be uncomfortable, and you still have to do them anyway because you’ve committed to it. My kids have always called me a buck-up mom, and while I know this is a tongue-in-cheek reference, and not meant as a compliment from them, I believe in the long-run they will be better for it.

I believe true joy in life often stems from experiencing contrasts. In the rare years where we have beautiful temperate blue skies and sunny days for the parades, my daughter is reminded that sometimes you have to dance in the rain to appreciate the sunshine.