Nice to feel wanted

My Saturday morning routine for almost a year has involved taking my adopted daughter to a leisure centre where she has a one hour judo lesson followed straight after by two hours with her gymnastics club. I read, chat, or wander in and around the gym depending on the weather, but essentially I have grown to like three fairly mundane and predictable hours at the end of a busy working week.

At first she was rather nonplussed by the interest I took in her activities, but as we were living 30 miles out of town she appreciated my role in providing transport and accepted that I might be more comfortable sitting in the gym than in my car.

Then she got accustomed to my being there and even seemed to find it reassuring . . I learned to keep at least half an eye on what was going on on the mats, because you never know when that breathless girl is going to run up to you and demand, "Mum, did you see that?" 😊

But since we moved to within walking distance of the gym, my role once again was called into question and I got the feeling I might be surplus to requirements. Mentally I listed the services that I provide that might still be considered useful:

(1) Carrying daughter's gym bag and keeping it safe
(2) Holding up a towel to facilitate quick change from judo clothes to leotard
(3) Retying ponytails, emergency repairs to equipment and clothing
(4) Supplying drinks and snacks on demand

But essentially I felt I was kidding myself, so over the Christmas break I decided to make myself effectively redundant 🥺

This morning I was enjoying a quiet lie in when my daughter burst into the bedroom and demanded to know why I was still in bed and likely to make her late 😬 I tried to explain . . then decided it would just be easier to get up and resume normal routine.

I think she has clocked that she may have been taking me a bit for granted as she made a special point of holding my hand on the way to the gym. And just a few minutes ago a slightly sweaty gymnast girl sat down beside me and gave me a full briefing about progress on her latest amazing floor routine 🤗

So I am not (yet) redundant and quietly happy that Saturday mornings are back to normal for the foreseeable future 😌

sarabee1995 · 26-30, F

You will never be redundant, Mom. My family attended every single belt testing as I progressed in taekwondo, but it was Mom that I would spy out of the corner of my eye to see if she was watching. At science fair award ceremonies, I would always find where Mom was sitting. And at middle school graduation, high school graduation, university graduation. And when I was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy, the first person I sought out in the crowd was Mom. You will never be redundant to this precious little girl. She might not always admit it, but she will always seek you out in the crowd to know where you are and whether you are watching. 🙏

SunshineGirl · 36-40, F

@sarabee1995 That is so lovely 💖 My sisters often had to substitute for my mum while she was on duty, but that did not matter much. The main thing is that someone is looking out for us.

JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M

@sarabee1995

I see a lot of midshipmen at the Annapolis Mall. Always sharply dressed!