As I sit here with a cheer hangover from a weekend full of competing I have the following confessions:
I have a problem spending 12 hours with a group of people I hardly know. I simply cannot be "cheer"ful for that long; it's not in my nature. As a result I often sneak out to my car to hide and recharge.
I don't like watching my kids compete from the VIP section. I think you can see better from further back and I'm usually such a wreck that I have difficulty drumming up the obligatory enthusiasm. I'm just trying to get through the routine without passing out. It's hard to go 2:30 without taking a breath.
When watching the other teams in my kids division I don't hope that they drop a stunt or anything - seriously, but I do have a momentary sense of relief/satisfaction if they do. I do feel guilty about it though.
While I certainly hope that our teams come home with a banner, as long as MY kid's stunts and tumbling hit I consider the weekend a success. That's really all I care about.
I'm hoping that these confessions will allow me to escape the inevitability of an eternity in cheer hell and just spend some time in cheer purgatory when the time comes.