Double good

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you've read about how I bemoan the fact that my kid's preferred activity is playing video games. He would, I am pretty sure, choose that over almost anything else if no one (i.e. his dad and I) had him do other things as well. As I tell him, I'm all about the balance. Go ahead and play the games, but you need to do other things, too.

So for a while now, we've tried a variety of after school activities. Sports, art, music. It's funny, as his dad pointed out, my kid does not come from team-sports people. His dad and I weren't particularly athletic as kids but are reasonably active now. It's not surprising then, that he doesn't have the drive to play soccer, or whatever. If they had recreational Lego clubs that met once a week all the time, he'd be on that immediately. Not the robotics, but just building stuff.

This year I signed him up (with his approval) for cross country through the city's recreation program. I love it when things work out better than you think they will. On the other hand, keeping one's expectations low (or reasonable) helps a lot too. It's six weeks, and the practices are held twice a week, each week at a different city park. I've had to give up my Monday Spin class for the next couple of weeks, but have been having a nice time at the parks with the dog while Mr W runs.

I bring the dog because I can't get to the dog park and get the kid where he needs to go. This has worked out well because now the kid wants to run with the dog at practice. Ha! Double duty. I'll go get my knitting now and see you two when you're done. It was kind of like that yesterday, although I walked with the dog for about 30 minutes (to assuage my guilt at not attending Spin class) and then sat and knit for a while.