My little girl really isn't very little anymore. Jasmine is 8 years old, and less then 3 months from her 9th birthday. She still loves her petshops and her webkinz but the past year saw her become more mature in many different ways. She really has been a great big sister to Asher; constantly worrying about his safety and looking for ways to entertain him when he is whining. She has always been great with helping out around the house, on occasion she even helps out "for fun". She vacuums, sweeps, does dishes, bakes, takes out the trash and most of the time she does it without a fuss. While she matures Jasmine has also developed quite an attitude towards her parents. She puts in a good fight when asked to go to bed, or to clean up her room as she has learn some psychological tools that she employs against her parents. As far as I know, this attitude is restricted to at home and with mom and dad. Everyone else who meets her knows Jasmine as a very respectful girl who loves to try new things and gets along with all sorts of different kids. She is well liked in her class at school, with the boys as well as the girls, and her teacher has nothing but good things to say about Jasmine.
Jasmine has not been able to escape her father's influence as she gets more and more involved with sports as she gets older. This spring Jasmine will be playing her 6th season of soccer. Her game developed last year as she started to use her running speed and her size to her advantage. I've tried hard to encourage her to be more aggressive, and she really started to turn the corner in that regard last season. This year her age group will play on a bigger field with more players on the field at a time. The game will more closely resemble a true soccer game, and hopefully I can impart some soccer knowledge to her about position and teamwork. At this point she is an out and out striker, looking to score goals and taking a lot of pride in her ability to do so. I am happy that she seems to really enjoy the game that I have always loved. She is always amazed when I tell her I have been playing for 24 years and counting.
Jasmine's sporting exploits are not limited to soccer. Over the last few years she has tried t-ball, learned to skate, tried floor hockey, fallen in love with swimming, and she is currently playing her first basketball season. I decided to encourage Jasmine to try basketball because I felt like it would suit her well. She loves to run and does it well. Her long limbs and tall frame combined with pretty good coordination are all assets in the sport of basketball. When I told her I would be her coach she became very excited to give it a try. It makes me feel good knowing that she wants me to be involved in her activities, and I have fun encouraging her and the other girls to improve themselves and to enjoy their time. She has met some great new friends playing her sports and her basketball team is no exception. All 8 girls are very polite to their coaches and each other, and they all seem to really like basketball. Jasmine is enjoying to game, scoring some baskets or goals as she calls them and playing stifling defence as well. It is too early to know, but I think we might have found "her sport".
Saturday's are for basketball, but Jasmine also keeps busy with brownies on Monday nights and she is soon going to start playing floor hockey again on Thursday nights. I really like that she keeps active, and that she enjoys the activities that she is involved in. She spends all of her free time at school on the monkey bars, constantly tearing up her hands by overdoing it. She also loves to swim and we try to go at least once a week. Jasmine loves to skate also, visiting the outdoor skating oval is one of her favorite things to do when the weather cooperates. Like any kid, Jasmine loves her tv shows and her favourite websites and mom and dad get stuck playing the villain when it comes to controlling the amount of time spent on these activities. Considering her physical activities, her love of reading and art projects, and I can't help feeling that she is becoming a very well-rounded little girl. Here is to another great year for my little Jasmine Rose!
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