BabyD’s grade one teacher instructs all of his students in the art of cup-stacking. Really. Baby demonstrated her growing proficiency at the last parent teacher conference. She loves it so much that she wants Mr. S for her teacher again next year.

I think it’s dorky, but it’s a better way to bribe children than handing out candy like her ballet teacher does. I cannot stand that the professionals I entrust my child to often feed her crap as a way to maintain control. I myself abandoned the candy thing early in my teaching career. I just don’t see long term good in such practices. They don’t instill a sense of doing for the sake of improvement in a kid at all. And for the record, I don’t pay my child to do well in school. Money grades will never happen in our house.

But to get back to the cups, it is a real sport. Really. It is.

The current champion of the cup stacking world is eleven. He has an endorsement deal with McDonald’s and his own cult following. Dare to dream that for your middle-schooler.

BabyD prefers dance. Rob thinks this is far too punishing physically to be a realistic long term goal for her, and I agree though I wouldn’t try to stop her because it really doesn’t hurt one to have a passion and goals. Of course, Rob is speaking from the point of view of one who literally had his back bone knocked loose as a 14 year old pursuing a hockey dream.

My only sport dream as a child was baseball until I was informed that gender matters.

What sports-ish, or other, dreams did you harbor as a wee one?