I remember when I was in elementary school, probably about Makenzie's age, and I was taking gymnastics, ballet and piano and it was getting to be too much and my mom asked me to pick between gymnastics and ballet- I picked ballet and although was obviously never the ballerina type, I started taking jazz classes and my freshman year I was on the drill team and danced all through high school and college in a modern dance company which I loved! Part of me wonders what would have happened if I had chosen gymnastics- would I have been a gymnast? I probably would have been a much better tumbler in cheerleading or would I have even been a cheerleader? I LOVED cheerleading!
I cheered on competitive squads, for the Abilene High Eagles for 3 years in high school, my one year at Harding University- Go Bisons! 
And when I transferred to ACU (clap clap) Wildcats!!
I got my degree in high school math wanting secretly to be a cheerleading coach too :) It is a wonderful sport- and yes it IS a sport!! Don't get me started- the days of cheerleaders being dumb girls is far behind us! I loved performing in front of a crowd, I loved doing toe-touches and practiced for hours trying to get mine inverted, I loved dancing and cheering as a team, I loved flying through the air and tumbling across the floor or field, I loved hitting a stunt that we had worked forever to get, it was a family and I made some of my best friends (Go 3 Amigas) in cheerleading.
Well, it has gotten to the point in my 6 year old daughter's life where she is going to have to choose. She has been asked to join either Beamers Superstars & Hotshots Gymnastics Team or their Cubs Exhibition Cheer Squad and they meet on the same night at the same time so there is no doing both- that was her first question. It will be her decision- just as my mother let it be my decision- but I pray that she follows her heart- what she really loves to do and not does something just because one of her friends is doing it. I know she is young, but she is very talented and such a cute little performer.
My prayer is that all of my children find something that they love to do and that they can excel at. Something that is always there for them to teach responsibility and dedication, something that they have to show up to even when they don't want to, something that they can be a part of and truly enjoy. I do not care what that thing is, I just hope that all 3 of them find it and love it as much as I loved cheerleading and dance. This is something that Bryan and I both feel very strongly about- that our children will be able to try whatever they want and find what THEY love and want to do.
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