sail away with me

Three years ago, our kids started taking sailing lessons on a local lake. After his first lesson, Calvin came home very excited: "Mama, I have found the sport of my life!" Since that day, Calvin has sailed competitively in two different kinds of boats. Annika, who last year sailed her regattas with an "after you, dear" politeness beat her big brother in a race this summer. Oliver is now taking his first lessons and he is thrilled. My niece and nephew are excited to be taking lessons this summer, too.

This sport takes a lot of time and commitment from parents. When your child is sailing in a race, you pretty much have to be there the whole time for safety reasons, and the regattas go on for the entire day, sometimes 2-3 days. Often at these all-day affairs, I find myself wondering when the work is going to get done at home. There is a lot of "hurry up to wait" as one parent describes it. But there are also great perks. I get to ride on lots of comfy pontoon boats, soaking in the sun, jumping off for a cooling swim when the sun burns hot. There are friendly parents to chat with on these boats, and I do love to chat. And sometimes, like last week, I get the chance to ride on really neat spectator boats, like a slick, 30-foot sailboat with all the perks or a gorgeous, romantic catamaran.

I don't know anything about sailing myself. It's better that way. The kids really own this activity. They know how to rig the sail, how to set up the boat on their own. They gain confidence and independence out there on the water, far away from me. And they have made many good friends. Even on the busiest days, I know they are receiving great gifts through this activity. What could be better than sunshine, water and friends all summer long?

The other day, Oliver and I were in the little boat at sailing lessons. It was our first time out on the water together, and we weren't sure what to do, how to get where we were supposed to be going. Oliver manned the tiller and I was giving unwelcome advice. Ollie was mad because we were behind everyone else and he savagely refused all of my "helpful tips." Even though I claim that I don't have a competitive bone in my body, I did feel a little anxious, wondering how all the other parent/child combos were zooming along and we were so far in the back. A helpful coach offered to tow us, and we gladly accepted. Later, I asked Calvin about this. How do you deal with your thoughts and feelings when you find yourself behind the pack? It happens to everyone at times. Calvin admitted those times were challenging. He said, "You just look up at the sail and find the wind. You just keep going."