One of the things I’ve been grateful for lately is the ability to see silver linings. I’m not exactly a doomsday person and more often than not, I try to find the good in the bad (even if that happens days or weeks or months later) but the last 6 months or so, I’ve found it difficult. Until recently. I won’t bore you with all of the details, and all of the places I’ve been able to pick my self up, but suffice it to say it feels good to be able to find highlights in what many perceive as a huge pain.

Like hours and hours of weekly cheer practice.

My daughter has no fewer than 8 hours of cheer practice per week. That doesn’t include her tumbling class or competition days. It’s obscene and easy to complain about, especially when you consider their ages (the oldest turned 9 in January) but I’d rather focus on what’s good about it. 

It’s teaching my daughter time management skills. Skipping practice for anything other than a serious illness or family matter is not an option. Tired? Too bad. In a crappy mood? Show up with your game face on. Homework to do? Get it done beforehand. So, given the fact that missing practice really isn’t a choice, my daughter is having to learn to manage her time to fit everything in. Relaxing, homework, reading, practice…it all needs to fit. And she’s doing a great job managing it all (with a little help). And what’s nice is that this is laying a foundation for her future.

It’s making physical activity part of her normal routine. The more this continues, the more she’s going to have exercise a part of her every day life. She’ll already know how to fit it in with everything else and to her, it’ll feel weird when she doesn’t have it. And, as a result, when cheer season is over, she’s learning to enjoy other activity to fill the hours. She’s definitely not a couch potato and that’ll pay off later on, too.

It’s a boon for parental productivity. I can’t tell you how much my husband and I get done during practice hours. Whether it’s housework or errands or catching up on actual work, those extra hours where she’s active and socializing means we can finish up our to-do lists so when we’re all together, we can actually be together without obsessing over what is and isn’t finished. It’s essentially a large scale model of the kitchen timer method (you know, when you set a timer and try to get as much done in that fixed amount of time. Fancy name: the Pomodoro Method).

It’s a way to sneak in quality time. She practices Fridays from 6-8PM. That’s date night without a babysitter. My husband works crazy hours sometimes and he doesn’t get to spend much time with the child during the week. So, when he’s driving her to and from practice, it’s a way for them to have quality time together. And, similarly, when I’m doing her hair and makeup for competitions, it’s a time for us to bond. The time together might not be a lot but we make the most of it because in our house, it’s about quality not quantity.

It puts us on a schedule. And gives us the freedom to say no. Having those blocks of time already scheduled, and non-negotiable, means that we can only allow into our lives what fits around it. It’s made us more selective in what we do, who we see, how we spend our money, and where we go. Also, having that routine is comfortable and there are no surprises (and, should one arise, we have the ability to handle it).

Finding the unexpected finer points of all that practice took some work but I’m glad I’m able to do it. It makes those hours more digestible and less frustrating when you can take a step back and see what’s beneficial instead of just a pain in the ass.

What are some places you guys are able to find unexpected silver linings?

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