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Nora, who is more into theater than soccer anyway, auditioned for a theater group and made it to the final round. When she didn't get in, she was devastated, crying for days (what an actress!). It's hard to see your child fail at something, though I've heard arguments that it will strengthen their character.
There is a balancing act where you want to encourage your child to take risks, and try out new activities, but you also want them to be successful. And each activities leader feels his is the most important, so kids run out of time to try different pursuits. When Hallie, our oldest, was on a gymnastics team, her musical theater instructor made her choose between gym and theater.
In 'rec' sports, you can be the worst player and still get equal time on the field. In 'travel', there are starters and subs. The subs tend to drop out because they have to make the same time commitment yet they rarely get to play. I understand this from a coach's perspective —it's all about winning, and you want to field your best team. But I also see the parents' point of view. Why should they spend the time and money if their kid never plays?
I have one fantasy where Nora tries out for 'travel', makes the team, then decides not to play because she has an acting role. But that's not fair to the kid who doesn't make the team and really wants to.
So we'll keep trying to distract her from this travel team madness. Tennis anyone?