“Ten”acity
“Ten”acity
A trait I learned from my ten-year-old.
I have two boys that are 14 months apart. Cameron, my oldest, just turned ten. He has always been mild-mannered. As a toddler, if I had to take him to work with me, he could sit quietly and draw for hours. Once we went to a firework show that started at 7 pm. I was a new mom and didn’t quite understand that for a child to wait from 7 pm to 9:15 pm is a REALLY LONG TIME! Cameron sat patiently waiting for the show.
And then there is my second child who is the exact opposite of his brother. He is my “active” child.
As toddlers I labeled them. Cameron was going to be my studious one and my younger child was my adventurous one. I also pegged my younger son as being the more athletic one, because he is a risk-taker and incredibly brave. I now understand how wrong I was to label them.
Cameron has tenacity. I did not fully comprehend the power of tenacity until I watched my son in action. When Cameron is determined to be successful, he completely immerses himself in the activity. He studies, he practices, and he succeeds! I know it doesn’t come as easily for Cameron to push himself out of his comfort zone physically and mentally as it does for my younger son.
The first time I watched Cameron succeed as an athlete was in soccer. Cameron joined the sport as an eight-year-old. He watched soccer on Youtube every day. If he wasn’t at team practice, he would practice his drills in the backyard. He worked so hard at soccer, that in his first year he was drafted to play for the travel team.
During the pandemic, when team sports were shut down, both of my sons took up skateboarding. Like he did in soccer, Cameron studies, watches, and practices skateboarding every day. A year later, he is far advanced on a skateboard for a child his age. Older kids have taken interest in him because of his skillset and have begun to mentor him. Parents often comment to my husband and me about how good he is.
I am much too old to get on a skateboard, and I don’t want to literally fall. But I understand the metaphor, when you fall, get back up, dust yourself off, and try again. Like Cameron, you will succeed.
About Claudette Shatto
Claudette has lived in the Napa Valley for 21 years. She is married with two elementary-aged children.
Claudette is a Professor at Napa Valley College. She teaches Social Media and Digital Marketing for the Napa Valley Education Foundation. She is also a contributing blogger for Napa Valley Kids. Her passion project is teaching leadership to first graders. She is currently writing children’s picture books incorporating the entrepreneur/ growth mindset.
Not one to sit still, during Covid she pushed herself out of her comfort zone and is now a part-time radio DJ. You can listen to her on 99.3 the Vine on Mondays & Friday from 3 to 7 pm.
Follow her on social @claudetteshatto
