Recent Letter to the ElderWisdomCircle™
SCHOOL: Feeling Pressure to Stay In Sport I No Longer Like Original Letter Hi, Thank you so much for this...my parents have already spent $110 on cheer for me. I usually have cheer Tuesdays and Thursdays, the coaches are so rude they make the kids feel like crap and im newer to this and am unable to do a lot of things the other girls can do. I have recently had an ankle injury that has been hurting when i do cheer, so i got a brace to try and stabilize it when i participate. i understand cheer is hard and it takes work but the coaches along with some of the students have made cheer completely not fun for me to be apart of and it is difficult for me to get up in thew morning knowing I have to go to cheer(worse for school). Today I asked my mom if I could skip tomorrow's practice and she started screaming at me saying I am already not going to make the team and I am wasting money... Do I stay in cheer? Do I quit? What do I do? Elder Response Bella, cheer is not for everybody. It is something that attracts a lot of participants because it adds to one's popularity, which is basically not a good enough reason to become part of it. If it is truly not fun for you, you should quit and find an activity your parents do not have to subsidize. One suggestion is to volunteer for a worthy cause. Another is to join a school club, or run for an office in a school election. All these things would be good on a college application. It might take a little time for them to get over having spent the $110 on you, especially if the family income is limited. All you can do is tell them you appreciated them taking a chance on you. If they can't seem to forgive you, offer to get a part-time job to pay them back. Don't continue to feel bad once you quit cheer. There are many things to do in life. Just keep experimenting with your leisure time, and you will find what is right for you. Bella, more power to you. Fare thee well. Best Regards, Alexis |
