As adults, we recognize that difficult experiences make us stronger, better people. The same concept stands to when we are children, but we don’t realize it at that time. When we’re kids, the general feeling is “If I don’t enjoy it, it’s not good for me!” and we kick and scream to get our way out of things our moms and dads try to make us do. Honestly, I’m happy that no matter how much I kicked or loud I screamed, my dad and mom didn’t let me get out of these activities:
Adventuring:
I just wanted to attend the beach volleyball camp the rest of my pals were attending throughout summer. I wanted the chance to eat more sweets and French fries, “weekend food”, because summer was just an extended weekend. The last thing I wished to do was be jetted away from everything I knew to another nation. But that’s exactly what happened. Each summer my parents brought my sister and I to a different country where we would rent a home for a month. I kicked and screamed at first, but just like at home, I got into my own rhythm there quickly, discovering the playgrounds I liked, the candy shops I liked, and friends to play with. Today, I am relaxed around pretty much all types of people due to the experience, am considered for employment by foreign businesses often simply because they like my cultured background, and have a really wide palate that enjoys just about every type of food.
Singing classes:
While my buddies were practicing sports, I was taken to a little cottage at a music academy which looked like a scene from a Jane Austen novel to learn singing techniques. It was beautiful, serene, and buzzing with the “artsy types” who, when you are ten years old, are just thought of the weird kinds. Of course today, I realize the “artsy kinds” are the types who attend NYU and create Oscar-Nominee movies or are in the opening band at the American Music Awards. So, although I didn’t learn how to become a singer or even how to improve my voice, I did learn how to recognize quality friends and individuals when I met them and not write them off merely because they were different.
Eat veggies:
It sounds basic but, a lot of moms and dads finally give into their kid’s cry for corn dogs and mac and cheese simply so that their kids will eat something. My parents held out. I wasn’t allowed up from the table until I ate my brussles sprouts, egg plant, summer squash or whatever it was that night. And, of course, eventually I did simply because I was starving. Today, I love the stuff. And while a lot of of my friends struggle with weight because their taste buds instantly tingle once they see “cheeseburger” on a menu and go dull when they see “Farmer’s Market Salad,” being healthy and maintaining a good figure has never been an issue for me.