Flashback Friday: Childhood lessons

If you have a child in your life, your calendar for April and May is probably quickly filling up with end-of-year activities - performances, recitals, etc. Did you take lessons as a child? Piano or another instrument? Gymnastics or dance? Other types of lessons? Were they weekly? How much were you required to practice between lessons? Did you participate in recitals? If so, do any of them stand out in your memory? Did they foster a love or a hate for that activity? Did you want to take lessons in a certain thing that you never got to? And if you have kids now, how did your experiences with taking lessons like these impact the activities you had/have them do?

As a child I was in swimming, figure skating, piano and flute lessons. I was also on the school volleyball, basketball and track and field teams. Yes, I was a busy kid. For music lessons, I was required to practise daily. I hated it. Not the playing part, but the practising in front of my parents. The piano was in the living room. I was a pretty shy kid, and definitely didn't like "performing" in front of people. Swimming was once a week, I think. It was in the neighbouring town 45 minutes away. Skating was twice a week until I got to competitive levels and then it was 4 days a week. I had volleyball, basketball and track and field twice a week I think during the different seasons. Track and field may have been more than that.

I was in a few recitals for music. I hated it. Figure skating I did competitions and Ice shows twice a season, as well as test days. I didn't mind the ice shows and tests, but I got pretty nervous for the competitions. The two competitions that stand out the most in my mind were 2 of my last 3. The 1st, I got onto the ice for warm up, fell on my first jump, ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out! I had the worst stomach flu! Not fun! The 2nd was the Northern BC Winter Games. I didn't place, BUT it was the first time I landed a couple of my double jumps in competition! It was pretty exciting!

I always wanted to take dance lessons, but the nearest dance studio was an hour away and I was already in too many things. I eventually chose figure skating over all of the others. I wish I had stayed in piano though.

The only "child in my life' is the kid I work with. She is in gymnastics and soccer. I think I would have liked gymnastics, but I hated soccer. I'm kinda dreading soccer season to start up to be honest.

And there's another Flashback Friday for you. Check out Mocha with Linda if you want to join in the fun!

Oh and it's my birthday today so you should show me some comment love today :)