Free Gift With Purchase

It’s like a T.V. special offering a free gift with purchase that’s only available for a limited time. You have eighteen years with these precious gifts that are on loan from the creator himself. Eighteen years to teach them as many life lessons as you can cram into that time that flies by in the blink of an eye.

Phrases like “You’re doing too much” or “Why do you spend all that money?” are repeated time and time again amidst conversations with family, friends, and acquaintances.

These questions creep up every time we have an invite, discuss weekend plans or talk about our children. Sometimes all I can do is smile, and other times I answer by saying, “It’s just what we do.”

But what I really want to say is I’m not just paying for dance. I’m also paying for the “free gifts with purchase.” In actuality, I’m paying for the experience. I’m paying for the friendships that have evolved over the years of sharing the same passion. I’m paying for my children to learn how to care for their bodies. They are learning how to eat healthy, exercise, and properly work out their muscles. I pay for the boost in their self-esteem and a healthy body image.

I’m not just paying for soccer. I’m paying for the development of the ability to think ahead and anticipate their opponent’s next move. I’m paying for the opportunity to be part of a team and learn how to work together. I paid so they could acquire the skills needed to be a gracious winner and an outstanding losers. I paid, so they know the score isn’t always the focus. Sometimes, it’s just about having fun.

I pay for swimming, so they know their only real competition is against themselves. I pay so my children learn that in order to get better, it takes hours of repetitious workouts, and even then, sometimes, it just doesn’t go the way you plan. But when that happens, I paid for them to know how to get back up and try again. To move on and learn something from that failure

I don’t pay for the items needed for a successful Student Government event. I pay because they are learning event planning and learning how to work with different personalities. I pay because they’re learning leadership skills. I pay because their feelings of accomplishment that beam through their smiles are worth it.

I pay for the instrument because it teaches them discipline, timing, and rhythm. I pay because they learn the value of music that opens their minds to an array of artistic possibilities. I pay for marching band because the accomplishment of winning superior as a team leaves them knowing that nobody is more important than the other and it could not have been done without each and every one of them working together as one whole team.

I don’t just pay for camp; I pay for the reminder of how much fun it is to unplug and just enjoy your friends. I pay for the views of majestic trees towering over them and for fresh air to fill their lungs with renewed energy to carry them through the next school year. I pay for the opportunity that allows them to be vulnerable and experience the holy spirit in a supernatural way that forever shapes their future.

The free gifts of a stolen glance when they landed the move they’ve been practicing, the laughter during practices, the conversations on the way home that spark from the coach’s inspirational speech, those are priceless. The sparkle in their eyes and the extra skip in their walk every time they shut the car door and head out to meet their team, that’s the free gift. 
The metals, trophies, and certificates of yesteryear that hang in the rooms of my younger ones and the ones that had to be boxed up when the older ones left the nest was a gift because they all sparked a memory. Each item assigned with a fond moment, a cherished thought, and a childhood memory is a beautiful gift.

The opportunity to see them grow year after year wearing a different colored jersey, new cleats, or a different costume is a gift. The fact that we can remember the coach, the teammates, and the recital that’s a free gift. 
I just don’t pay for softball or baseball. I pay because I love the free gift with purchase that are only available for a limited time.