End of the Year Celebrations -- Part I

Two years ago, my girls started learning gymnastics at our local branch of Kfitz Kfotz*.

I will forever be grateful to both Tehilla Fraenkel (founder and director of Kfitz Kfotz) and Temima Petersal (head coach of the Homat Shmuel branch), for all that they have given my daughters.

Both of my daughters began Kfitz Kfotz at a relatively "old" age, especially my eldest daughter, who was the oldest 'new kid' in all of Homat Shmuel (and perhaps all of Jerusalem). I almost expected them to "drop out." I certainly expected them to have issues (about being so much older, about not being "as good," about being different in so many ways...).

Was I in for a surprise!!

Within a few weeks, both of my girls were hooked. They "could not" miss a single workout! If they were late, they had to call and let Temima know. They took gymnastics very seriously. And they loved it!!

Sometime in the first few weeks, Tehilla hosted an evening for all the parents from all the different branches to explain her vision of what she is trying to create through Kfitz Kfotz. Since only about 10% of the girls will ever exhibit true prowess in gymnastics, her goal for 90% of the girls is far beyond the ability to do cartwheels and handsprings. Kfitz Kfotz strives to build up the girls both physically and spiritually, to create a sense of camaraderie and good sportsmanship and to imbue the girls with a love of sports. I have been privileged to witness the impact of these efforts on my girls.

Before I knew it, my eldest began going early, to help with the younger kids. She could barely do anything herself, yet the staff and older kids welcomed her and encouraged her to contribute in whatever way she could. She took her 'job' seriously, arriving on time, staying late, and never missing a class (if humanly possible).

At the end of the year, she joined the summer training program to become an assistant coach. When she discovered that the following year she would get paid for helping the kids, she was really excited. Though she admitted that she had not known that she would get pain and would have done it for free! (She is saving the money, which is good, 'cause she'll need it for driving lessons, college, etc.)

Both of my girls begged to continue for a second year; and both progressed so much more this year. Their commitment did not waver and their enthusiasm only grew.

Yesterday evening (Wednesday), Kfitz Kfotz hosted their end of the year performance. From 5:30-7:15, we watched the girls and their instructors perform dances and exercises exhibiting their abilities. In her opening remarks, Tehilla reminded the audience to clap equally for all the participants -- reminding us all that Kfitz Kfotz is about a nobler aim than physical abilities (no matter how impressive).

What amazed me more than anything was that this was not just an evening for mothers extended family (female relatives only, since Kfitz Kfotz is just for girls). In addition to inviting my sister and Moshe's mom, both kids invited friends of theirs! Even more surprising to me was that their friends made the effort to come!! And they were not the only ones! The enormous auditorium was packed!!

At the end of the evening, ALL the girls get "medals" (candy necklaces that kids of ALL ages appreciate!). In addition, girls who had been working out with Kfitz Kfotz for 5 years and then 9 years and up receive medals in recognition for their diligence and hard work.

My eldest received a medal last year for her volunteer work as an assistant and this year she received a medal for her commitment as part of the staff.

When I dared to suggest that we leave before the distribution of medals, so that we could be on time (or less late) to my eldest daughter's "Erev Shorashim" (Evening of Roots -- more on that tomorrow, b'li neder (I hope!)), my daughters were horrified! Perish the thought!! We stayed until the end.

The second it was over, my daughters tracked me down and rushed me out (lest I get side-tracked and start a conversation with any of my friends....). With two of her classmates in tow, my eldest pulled me to the car. We hopped in and headed straight for their school!

Our evening had only just begun!



Please daven (or send happy, healing thoughts) for RivkA bat Teirtzel.

With love and optimism,
RivkA


* I searched the web in Hebrew and English for a link to Kfitz Kfotz's webpage and found... nothing!! It is (embarrassingly) too late to call anyone, but if you know of a webpage, please leave a link in the comments!! --- SPECIAL THANKS to Sara G for the link to their website!!

Uncamping

Juggling Frogs wrote a wonderful comment on Mother in Israel's blog:

"You know how some homeschoolers work without a curriculum and call it "unschooling"? Well, we're not homeschoolers, but in the summer, our family engages in "uncamping". We bask in the lack of a schedule and float across time..."Juggling Frogs 07.07.08

I have not yet decided if I am a "homeschooler-wannabee" or just a "homeschooler-sympathizer". In either case, If I homeschooled, my kids would definitely be an "unschooled" -- which is why Moshe would never agree to it.

Thankfully, despite a rocky start with one of my kids, all three of my kids love school -- though they don't always admit it! They all love to learn; most of their teachers are excellent; and they have great kids in their classes. (Don't be fooled, I have my share of criticism of our school in particular, and the educational system in general! But, since we are sending to school, at least we have frameworks that work, overall, for our kids.)

That said, we all look forward to spending our summers together! Up until this year, we also basked in our free time. We slept late in the mornings, stayed out late at night, played with friends, and had a wonderful time.

When asked, the kids would tell their friends that they are in "Kaytanat Ima" (Mom's Summer Camp) -- we even made T-shirts, which we would wear on our outings. (Every summer, each kid would paint his/her own "Kaytanat Ima" shirt)

Last summer, I lost a lot of my summer running around to tests and doctor's appointments, and, eventually, chemotherapy (starting, Thursday, July 26).

Thankfully, my friends, especially IS, really helped make sure that my kids' summer vacation still included many fun activities.

Each year, we plan most of the summer with IS -- She is much more organized than I am, she has a daughter Y's age and a son MD's age, and ALL our kids play well together! (At the end of last summer, MD told me that he especially looked after TE, one of IS's young twins, as if TE were MD's little brother!)

So, it was natural (and more than generous) that IS volunteered to organize transportation and food so that my kids could continue to participate in all our usual fun activities (museums, parks, etc).

At one point, IS mentioned that the outings were different without me. I was sort of surprised. I knew that IS would miss my company (since we both look forward to hanging out and talking all day). But I did not think my kids would really notice my absence. After all, when I'm there, my kids practically ignore me while they play with their friends. It was nice to know that they missed me (in a bittersweet sort of way).

I am glad that I did not know then, that that would be our last free summer together.

This summer, my eldest daughter is busy almost all July. As I mentioned before, she went away the first week of summer vacation for four days and three nights, to a "madatzim" (young leaders) seminar. She came back Wednesday night, bursting with enthusiams and eager to share what she learned!

Next week, she begins a 13 day course to become a "madrichat ezer" (assistant teacher) for her gymnastics chug (class). Even though Y only started gymnastics this past year, she also volunteered as a "mitnassah" (teacher trainee) for the younger kids. She took her volunteer job very seriously, and almost never missed it! Her instructor was so impressed with Y (both by Y's personal improvement and by her commitment and skill as a "mitnassah"), that she strongly recommended that Y take this training course, even though Y is still relatively new to gymnastics and cannot do all the exercises for this level, yet. The training course is a serious and intense course, run by the municipality and the Wingate Institute.

MD also put in a special request this summer: he wanted to learn computer programming. We searched around and found a 2-week program, in the same building as Moshe works!

Only A chose to stay at home! I was so excited to have her to myself!!

Who knew that I would spend the entire week running to the hospital?! Thankfully, one of her good friends is also home, and they spent a lot of time together, including one spontaneous sleepover. At least we have next week together!

So, our family has gone from having all the time in the world, to having to schedule around Y's programs, MD's kaytanah (summer camp), my chemo, and, let's not forget, youth group activities! Y is now in "chagas" (chevraya gimel -- high school age group), which means that she has activities all the time, at all hours of the day and night.

It is a bit frustrating for IS, whose kids are still home and don't go to youth group, so she is still free as a bird! I am grateful that she is so flexible!

Meanwhile, I have mixed feelings.

I loved our summers of uncamping. I loved waking up each morning and deciding what we were going to do. I loved being able to stay out late, and not have to worry about waking up the kids in the morning. I loved being able to just pack up and go, whenever/wherever I wanted.

But I am also proud of the things that my children are choosing to do with their summers.

And I am proud of the independence that they are developing.

Of course, these mixed feeling can hit you in the gut. Like, when I asked Y if she would be joining us for certain activities, and she answered "Sure, if it fits into my schedule."



Please daven (or send happy, healing thoughts) for RivkA bat Teirtzel.

With love and optimism,
RivkA