Practice is not Punishment
Just because I played football professionally doesn’t mean I desire for my boys to play. Jackson chose to play basketball and owes it to himself to be the best player he can be. The fruits of his labor will reveal itself at some point. That all depends on the amount of work he’s willing to put in.
Yesterday his team lost and he didn’t play well. It was only his second time playing on an organized team and I could tell he was lost. He expressed that he was afraid of making a mistake so in turn he played timid. This caused him to turn the ball over as more experienced players were playing at a faster pace.
At that moment I realized where I failed him. I did not prepare him for the intensity of game day because I was more focused on skill as opposed to mental toughness. I was too busy giving him tools to score baskets without preparing him for the game that is being played in his mind. That’s on me.
I made practice at home an option instead of a priority and allowed him to become to comfortable with performing on HIS TERMS. That’s not the way life works.
Practice is not Punishment… It’s the Pursuit of Perfection!
#DevalesTruth #TheEllises #JustDadding #RaisingKings #millennialparenting