craigdailypress.com

Christina M. Currie

Christina M. Currie's Touch of Spice column appears Fridays in the Craig Daily Press. E-mail her at director@craig-chamber.com

The time has come.

I've been dreading it for years.

And, yes, that's because people have been warning me about it since my children were born.

The start of extra-curricular involvement.

I've been avoiding this day like the plague. I can hardly keep up with the nightly, daily and weekend events that fill my schedule. Even the occasional birthday bash was a strain.

Now, I'm committing to weekly classes, which will lead to more weekly engagements, which will lead to weekend activities, which will lead to weekend activities that are 200 miles away.

Lord, help me now.

I bit the bullet and enrolled my 7-year-old and 8-year-old girls in gymnastics. Their constant requests finally won me over.

Well, that and societal pressure. Children are supposed to be well-rounded and involved.

I just didn't want it to happen before state law says they legally can operate a vehicle.

I've been promising the girls I'd look into gymnastics for months. Then, I finally said we'd do it that week. Two weeks later, we made it to our first class.

Now, I really feel like a bad mother. My girls are the tallest ones in the class who can't do a cartwheel or manage the intricacies of a girly pushup.

Evidently, good parents choose a path prenatally and enroll their children at birth.

Ouch.

This is going to hurt.

On the plus side, the girls haven't noticed, and I'm expecting that their natural ebullience will catch them up soon.

That is, if I can keep up with the rigorous weekly schedule.

Luckily, 7-year-old Nikki has a friend who's been dying to get Nikki into the class, so much so that she's pestered her mother to the point that she's offered to pick up the girls and drive them to class.

I love her.

I will reciprocate in some form.

When I ask people how they're doing that day, the answer is "busy" about 85 percent of the time.

And I answer the same way.

And nearly every time I say "busy," I hear a laugh and a "wait until your kids get older."

No wonder I've been freaking out about this day.

Evidently (according to all those sadistic people), this is just the tip of the iceberg. First gymnastics, then T-ball, then Girl Scouts, then school sports and activities.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not the most spoiled teens who are gifted a car when they turn 16, it's those with the most worn-out parents.

I think I'll start saving now.

That is, unless there's anyone out there who's interested in picking up a little extra-curricular parenting?