Throwing My Hands in the Air

Ben's sponsered swim fund raiser was last Friday.  His goal was to swim 12 laps.  We aren't ever organized enough to actually ask for sponsors so I end up fudging stuff.  Like last year I sponsered him for $20.  Then both sets of grandparents sponsered him for $10 each.  Of couse they didn't know they had committed to it the morning of because, well, we didn't call them.  I just made it up and told Ben they did and paid it "for them" to the swim team.

 

Figuring I'd be subsidizing all his so called "sponsors" again this year, I decided to contribute about $10 myself and back calculated that if he hit his goal of 12 laps I should pay $1.50 per lap which would come to $9 for me.  Of course the grandparents and some other random imaginary person would follow suit and also sponser at $1.50 per lap.  $9 times 4 "sponsors" should have been $36 again.

 

Now realize this kid after two years still had not swam in a meet because crossing the pool without the aid of a noodle, kickboard or his fins was simply impossible in his head.  He set his swim goal.  He chose to swim 6 laps/12 lengths WITHOUT any floating helps.  This was a big, BIG goal for the little guy.  Guess what?  I knew he could do it if he rested and hung on the lane lines to catch his breath, but by no stretch of the imagination would it be easy.  He was up for the challenge though and I was supportive, hoping he could do it.

 

At the end of the day he swam 22 laps/44 lengths.  That is almost four times as far as he thought he could do.  They had the kids swim for an hour straight.  And because the other kids kept going, he just kept going again and again and again.  It was AMAZING!!  I am so proud of him.  In the end, I sucked it up and paid the kid the full amount for my sponsorship.  The grandparents however weren't so kind.  Those stingy buggers.

 

While I was telling him how much the check was for and how proud I was of him and gushing about his hard work and his earning the money for the swim team he got this horrified look on his face.  Then he started crying and yelling "That's not fair!!"  "What's not fair?"  "I did all that work and I don't get the money?"  Suck.  Mom messed up again?

 

Somewhere it got losted in translation.  No.  The money wasn't for him.  Poor kid.  He's pretty ticked off to tell the truth.  He wants his cash.  By golly, he worked his tail off for it.  My heart breaks for him, but the check still said, "Pay to the Order of Glen Cove Pirates Swim Club".  He did get to eat on the Special Plate for dinner though.  Isn't that almost as good?