Chess Club for Dude

The school year has started and with it comes a bunch of flyers for various extra-curricular activities. Choir, Orchestra, Band. The band flyer, in particular, had a lot of convincing arguments for why you should sign up your child. Increased IQ, successful people join band, West Salem has a rigorous and very successful band program. Matthew and I weren't dead set on him joining but we at least wanted him to consider it and make an informed decision.

To make us happy, Dude agreed to attend an evening event to try out different instruments. He told us not to get our hopes up but that he would at least go and keep an open mind. He had a lot of friends at the event, which I took as a hopeful sign, but there was zero enthusiasm as he tried various instruments, the french horn, the clarinet, the trombone, and the trumpet, and very little talent. I honestly didn't think he'd say yes, but knew that if he did it would go one of two ways. 1. He does it and hates everything about it because it's hard. 2. He does it and grows in amazing ways because it's hard. A few days after the event, I checked in to see what decision he had made. Nothing. I told him that not making a decision is still making a decision and asked if he was stalling because he was afraid of disappointing Matthew and me by saying no. That seemed to be the heart of the matter.

We reassured him that he didn't need to choose band but did emphasize that he pick something. Spending every afternoon playing x-box with friends isn't the path we really want for him. He actually did ask to do a weekly science club with his dad since Luca and I have a weekly cooking club. We happily obliged that desire and it seems to be going well but we still wanted more for him.

The very next week after the band event a new flyer was sent home - this one advertising a chess club to be held after school for an hour two days a week. Oh. My. Goodness. What a perfect opportunity for my son. He eagerly signed up the very next day and has been LOVING it ever since. Thank you Kalapuya Elementary school for presenting this amazing opportunity to so many happy kids.