I got one kid through college. Now I have another kid getting ready to start high school. That is stressful enough. But there is one added complication. Mollie has always been a healthy, active kid. She has done dancing, soccer, softball, and now volleyball. And for just a couple of years now, she has done cheerleading.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not against cheerleaders. No guy in the world is against cheerleaders. There is no event in the world that wouldn’t be made better by cute girls in short skirts jumping up and down and getting the crowd all worked up. More people would watch C-Span coverage of the House and Senate if there were cheerleaders. We can add them to Thanksgiving dinner, as far as I am concerned.
But I have mixed feelings about cheerleading in general. I can see how it made sense back in the days before girls were allowed to play sports. But why would anyone want to stand on the sidelines and cheer when they could be on the field getting cheered for? And I am not quite sure why the women’s movement and the feminists aren’t more outraged by cheerleading. Why is a beauty pageant so terrible for women but cheerleading is just fine? I feel like I am missing something here.
I am not condemning cheerleading as a whole. But did you know that cheerleaders actually get injured more often than the players of all the sports they cheer for? And why do the skirts have to be so short? And the leg kicks so high. I know this makes me a hypocrite, but I just like it better when it isn’t my 14-year-old daughter doing it.
Cheerleading is also highly competitive and it can be sort of brutal. The kids aren’t always nice to each other. And the moms can get a little crazy too. So when Mollie decided to try out for the high school cheerleading squad, I sort of just hoped that the girls who had been doing it for longer would get picked, and this whole thing would just blow over.
But Mollie is the only girl coming into the school that got a call back. And she is so excited. And I want to be a supportive dad. So what should I do? There are so many things she could spend her time doing. So many clubs and activities. Things like music and sports that could stay with her for a lifetime. Cheerleading isn’t really like that. You can play an instrument until you are ninety. But what can you do with cheerleading after college?
I don’t want to stand in the way of this. It is important to her. I just can’t help but feel that there are other things that would be better choices.
Any thoughts on the subject?
Pouring My Art Out 
Be afraid. I was a cheerleader and look how I turned out.
That actually reassures me quite a bit.
Well bless you pea pickin’ heart!
Funny you should mention peas… wait for tomorrow’s post… ha!
I meant youR pea pickin’ heart.
Sure you did…
Something is wrong with wordpress… or my mom’s computer… or me… I can’t see my stats and it wont let me do a new post??? I am doomed…
WordPress has disabled my new post button. They are upset about my little spam joke. They say they have concerns about the content of my blog. I get spam all the time from sites that sell nasty stuff. Do they shut them all down? Please let WordPress know that I am not evil. I need your help.
Yes, I’ll get right on it. Holy cow.
I put my foot in it this time… sorry.
Apologies are completely unnecessary. You’re a good egg and we like having you around.
I hope I still will be…
Ha 🙂 This makes me laugh. Happy Father’s Day!
I thought you were giving up on me.
Maybe tomorrow 🙂
You are already planning on giving up on me tomorrow???
You wouldn’t even notice…
You know that isn’t true…
Yeah but
If she enjoys it, let her have fun. School will be enough stress. And every team has its share of jackasses on it.
Sounds like you’ve been a supportive dad. No reason to change that now.
I know enough to know that is the only real answer.
Have the jocks come over to your house and BE REALLY INTIMIDATING. And be polishing your .45 at the same time.
Your kid sounds like a good kid. I think she’ll make good choices and won’t want to get in trouble with you.
I just never liked the cool kids in high school. My friends and I were cool in our own way… in a very 1970’s way. But the popular crowd got on my nerves.
Now my advice is coming from a dead beat dad, support her! Sneaking in some other activity with love dare I say, she may see the light, coming from a loving father!
Don’t kick yourself save that for us in the blogging world…
I don’t feel like I failed. I am not a sports oriented guy. It will all be fine.
I think you are looking at this as a man who used to be a younger man! I have always tried to give my girls a very strong sense of their own value. They have grown up maybe a bit too strong! it doesn’t matter what she wears as long as she is her own person and never sees herself as a “pleaser”. I would say support her 100%. She will get her greatest sense of herself and her relationship towards men in the future, from her Dad, YOU. And from the way you write I would have no worries if I were you.
I know all that. And it isn’t like she announced that she wanted to do something horrible. This is obviously a first world problem. But it is nice to get feedback. Thanks.
There are other things that would be better choices but there are also other things that would be worse choices. If anyone is interested in something sport or team based, you should let them do it. What would you do if you had a son who wanted to do figure skating? I don’t think you’d stop him.
Sure she can’t do much with this after college, but is there much at 14 you still do as an adult? I mean, besides drink. Let her have fun with it and go as far as it can take her. It may even get her interested in playing other sports by cheering for them and she’ll probably make some great friends and even greater enemies.
That is a sensible way to look at it. I’m sure she will do fine. It just isn’t my first choice.
So true is this statement…it isn’t your first choice. It’s hers. Be supportive. At 14, she still has lots of changing to do and may find the drama that goes along with it too much to stick to it. Also, its a call back. Depending on the overall size of the school and squad, she could get nixed and still need your support. By caring about it, you are being a good dad. Happy Father’s Day.
It will all work out in the end. Thanks.
Lol, I’m gonna get myself in trouble and I didn’t even cheer. Cheerleading is a sport in its own right, hence the competition and injury. It even has a national title.
Cheering involves tremendous athleticism and coordination. Have you seen some of the lifts and throws? Watch any of the Bring it On movies and you will see. It is also done by both males and females.
I would say let her cheer, you never know where it will take her. 🙂
I get all that. But there are always other routes to take and other places to end up. I am just letting off a little steam. Thanks.
Happy Father’s Day.
Thanks. I had to work really hard for like five minutes to make those two kids. The least I can get is an ugly tie.
To stop her would probably push her into it further. Maybe she will try it and discover it’s not her thing, if it is, go from there? Don’t guys cheerlead now a days too?
They always have. I just worry about the whole ‘popular’ crowd at high school. There is going to be a lot of parties and pressure. I never really liked that crowd.
Can you talk to her about choices or case scenarios that might come up and suggest how to handle them?
Well that is sort of what we do as parents, yes. But it’s hard to explain all the challenges that are going to come up when compared with the glamour of the idea.
Oh yeah she would be stuck on the glamour and excitement. I know it would break a fathers heart to watch her get hurt, but she knows she can come to you and she will have amazing support!
I know it will work out. But I really don’t like the idea of her hanging out with the jock guys.
spoken like a true Dad. 🙂
True dat.
she’s a lucky daughter
I am a lucky dad.
that you are!
That I are…
yes
Si.
how about you go out with her? 😉
You can only get away with so much once they reach the teen years.
ha, you’re sneaky there’s ways..
In the end in comes down to trusting them.
i guess so eh?!
You can’t be with them all the time.
i’ll bet you wish though
Not really. I need my me time.
oh ya you time
As you can imagine, my me time is pretty weird.
i can imagine! lol
I bet you can’t…
well maybe not…
It’s better that way.
Let her know what you will and won’t be okay with/allow?
She knows that stuff Believe me.
Do you trust her?
My kids are good kids. They are nothing like me when I was young.
there you go!
That was sort of the goal.
ha!
Indeed.