Miss Miranda Boettcher

Miranda is involved in three sports, and I have said before that we are constantly running around, back and forth, to and from everyday. I have realized that Miranda has learned and is learning valuable life lessons from this.

Organization: I've never seen a kid like her. She has a separate bag for each sport, filled with equipment, headbands, lotion, contact solution, etc. She will never be unprepared for any game, practice, or tournament. This is also carried over into her academics, her planner is impeccable, she does not forget assignments, or books at school. She obviously does not get this from me.

Hard work: Whether it's on a court or field or classroom, Miranda works so hard to do her very best. She enjoys doing well! She wants to do well! It matters to her! Talking with other parents, this is very rare.

Time management: If Miranda has late practice (5:30-7:30) she will bring books home the weekend before to read ahead, do vocab that wasn't assigned, study for tests scheduled in the following week. So that when she does get home, she can shower and go to bed.

Team Work: She has learned that in life, people depend on you, and you depend on others to reach a common goal. She has felt the wonderful feeling of what happens when you win as a team, and the disappointment of coming up short as a team.

Decision Making: I think this is the hardest lesson of all. Sometimes there isn't a right or wrong choice. Sometimes you have an easy route and a hard route. Sometimes Mom and Dad don't always agree. The lesson she is learning, is that she just has to come to a decision and live with it without regret. If she can do that, she is far more self assured than I ever was at 14!

Life is not fair: This lesson has popped up recently, sometimes you can work hard and be very deserving and not receive what is fair. We all know what a horrible feeling this is. She and I have had lots of tears and long talks about this. She is realizing that she can be proud of herself and her hard work even though the outcome wasn't exactly what she thought it should be.

I am so proud of this kid who is turning into a young woman right before my eyes.