The One Where I Wonder If I Spoke Too Soon

Shawn and Ry took some Daddy/Daughter time yesterday and went to play at the playground by Ryan's school. Among other things, she showed him how she runs the track during PE.

"Man, she just took off running and ran the whole lap like it was nothing." Even as the butterflies began hatching in my stomach, cued by memories of running track to please my Dad, I suggested she run in the Junior 'Dillo (the kid version of the Cap 10k) this Saturday.

"Yes, yes, yes," she squealed with delight, as I kicked myself in the ass.

Just now, she and I were looking at the race registration, and I explained that there were 2 races she could pick to run: the longer, 1-mile Junior 'Dillo run, or the 1/2 mile Family Fun Run.

"Which one gets you a prize?" she asked. Naturally.

"Well, the mile run has prizes for the kids who finish first in their age group, but I don't want you to enter just to get a prize. I'm not saying you won't win a prize, but there are a lot of kids running the race, so there's a chance you might not win. I just want you to do it because it's fun."

That's right, Rule #1 in the chunkyrhino parenting book: Shoot down the dream before it gets shot down for them.

"The other race is shorter, and you, me and Jax can all run or walk in it together," I continued, "but you can enter whichever one you want."

"I want to do the long one, and I want to do it on my own."

**Butterflies fluttering**

"Okay, but I'm going to have to let Jax run, too, which means I'll probably have to run with him."

"That's fine with me, but I don't want to run with you guys. I want to do it on my own."

Butterflies now in my throat, I started running through every reason imaginable for her not to run. "You know, a mile is kinda long. It's like 4 or 5 laps around your track at school. Do you think you could run that?"

"Like in PE?"

"How many times do you run around the track in PE?"

"They just make us run until they blow the whistle, but it's a lot."

(ah, yes, how I miss the ease of being an athletic coach...)

Damn, I guess I have to let her run, even though I won't be able to run with her, even though I won't be able to take her pic as she tries to win, even though I probably won't even see her race at all, seeing as how now I will have to enter Jax as well, which definitely means I'll have to run with him, so as to avoid him causing a 50+ kid pile up in the middle of Auditorium Shores.

When will I learn to think before I speak? When? WHEN????

(Have I mentioned the Theatre Camp I'm planning on running this summer??? It's like I'm reverting slowly back to high school with each new year. Soon I'll have permed hair, braces, no boobs, and an awkward way with boys. Yippeee!!!!!)