THE SQUEAKY CARTWHEEL GETS GYMNASTIC LESSONS
I'm the youngest in my family. I got hauled around as my mom drove everyone else to karate and gymnastics and drill team who knows what else.
I didn't do any of that.
Why? Well, I think it's because I was constantly told that I was too young. And I was. I am usually pretty good at waiting patiently for something good, so I just stopped asking and waited until I was old enough. I think I thought my mom would automatically sign me up for everything when I was old enough.
So I never asked to do any of that. I watched my sister do no-handed cartwheels on the lawn and patiently waited until I could go to gymnastics and learn to do the same. I still can't do a cartwheel.
I think I was about 10 when I asked my mom if I could take trumpet lessons. I was already playing in elementary school band, but I wanted to be better, and my band teacher wanted me to take lessons from him.
That's when my mom asked me why I'd never asked her to let me take any other lessons, like gymnastics. I remember the moment rather clearly. We were driving in a wooded area in Kentucky in our white minivan. Anyway, that's when I realized that the day would never come when she would just sign me up. I had no idea I had to ask!

Maybe I'm glad I never took gymnastics. Because I bet my mom was much more willing to pay for horseback riding lessons when I was 13, because it was only the second lesson request of my life!

I don't know if my kids are going to be like me, so I'm going to ask them if they want to take any sort of lessons. Well, I'll ask them when we can afford to pay for them, anyway!