On the face of it, there's no contest. Most dedicated parents would never contemplate preferring a car wash over any event their kids are performing in. And normally, neither would I. In the last term I've watched netball, rugby, soccer, dance, gymnastics, open day performances, band performances and been to assembly.
I am not a gung ho sports mum but I do have great respect for the parents of sportingly talented children and the support they give them.
But if I'm honest, the only thing I'd rather watch less than the sports carnival is the Talent Quest. Which I've already made my views clear on.
I think the sports carnival is great because it celebrates being active. I think the kids need to all go and cheer their house on, and if they're not sporty, cheer for their more athletic mates who compete in several events and qualify for zone and stuff.
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| There are no Christensens in this photo. |
I just don't think I should have to witness it. My kids aren't runners, and they only compete in one event, the running race. I almost always miss the race, because I'm in the wrong place or looking the wrong way.
For example, on Monday I cheered and clapped one of Issy's best friends as she flew past me to win her race, not even realising my little child was in the lane next to her (coming 5th or something).
She will never know this.
See? Even when I'm right there, I still miss it. This is how much I struggle with the sports carnival.
Here are a few more reasons why I think the Athletics Carnival is not for me:
1. Non athletic children have to spend a lot of time sitting around, going to the canteen and buying lots of lollies which is counterproductive.
2. After a few hours the many uses for coloured zinc become tiresome.
3. There are ticks. Issy got one. She may have more I haven't found yet. Another girl in her class got one, and another boy we know got two. Ticks are evil, and downright dangerous if not found and removed.
4. When your child(ren) see you they detach themselves from their mates and attach themselves to you. This isn't fun for anyone. The older ones want (more) money for the canteen and the younger ones start to get teary when they realise you have to go and they're not going too. It never ends well.
5. I tend to chat too much, staying far longer than I need to, and not paying enough attention to the children I came to see.
The best athletics carnival I never went to was the one when Mike had to take them because I was having a medical procedure. It was awesome.
After the sports carnival I went to the car wash. You know, the one where you hand over cash and sit in a cafe while your car is washed better than you'd ever do it at home (or could be bothered to do it).
Our neighbour washes his, his wife's and his kid's cars every single weekend. He is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, and just a tiny bit OCD about his cars. I have tried to be like him, and wash the car in the driveway and vacuum it out, but it never ends well.
At the moment there is a skip in our driveway, which is also unhelpful.
Once, when we did have a driveway, and even a garage, I gave the car a dead battery because I left the radio on for 1.5 hours (which is how long it took me to vacuum it).
So I took my laptop to the car wash and did a bit of work and at the same time I (the word I is used very loosely here) was accomplishing a massive household task that had been worrying me for weeks. You could make a cheesecake base from the crumbs on the floor of that thing.
And on the whole, I enjoyed sitting at the car wash more than the sports carnival.
There. I've said it. Controversial, but true.
Photos courtesy of FreeStockImages artur84 & chrisroll
