Every mother has hopes and dreams for her children. Even though I would love for my kids to share many of my pastimes, I am most invested in instilling a passion for skiing and hiking. This is because we spend most of our family time in the mountains.
And the fact that I suck at pursuits such as golf, dance and tennis.
I was thrilled when my daughter Hadley took to the slopes like a fish in very slippery water last winter but I also want them to develop their own talents. Hadley excels in art so I went to the mat to get her in a sold-out, week-long art camp this summer.
This, from the mom who only passed sixth grade art because her best friend did her projects for her.
Three-year-old Bode is a Babe Ruth in the making and I will enroll him in T-ball this summer. He can hit 9 out of 10 balls pitched correctly to him.
I say “correctly” because my pitching skills are lacking.
And he lets me know it with every wayward pitch.
I hate baseball. I mean, give me a Rocky Dog and a box of Cracker Jacks at a Rockies game and I can hang with the best of them. But the thought of enduring countless innings of baseball, year after year?
Maybe I should take out stock in Cracker Jacks
But I recently received the confirmation that maybe just maybe I am doing something right with just maybe, I am also doing something right with instilling my passions in my children. I was in Utah over Spring Break and took the kids to my alma mater, BYU. Hadley spotted the “Y”prominently etched on the mountain. I excitedly told her she was finally old enough to hike it with me. She pensively stared at it for a while.
“Do you know what it stands for, Hadley?”
“I think so.”
“Really?” To be honest, Jamie and I don’t talk about BYU so I was pretty surprised.
“‘Of course, I do, Mommy. ‘Y’ means ‘YES’ for hiking!”
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 