Beware-a-thon

As our kids grow, we learn new lessons along the way. Here is a recent example: Skyler's school had a jog-a-thon to raise money for who knows what. Skyler made some phone calls and solicited donations. You were able to either donate an amount per lap or one flat amount. The day before the actual event I reviewed her donation list. I saw that everyone had decided to donate a flat amount. To motivate Skyler to still try and do her best, I decided to donate per lap. I asked Sara how big the track was that they were going to run around. She wasn't sure, but didn't think Skyler was going to do many laps. I mistakenly imagined a large track, where a lap would be a quarter-mile. So, I sat Skyler down and explained to her that I was going to donate $1 per lap that she ran, and to give her even more inspiration I would give her $1 to keep for herself for each lap. Fast forward to the next morning. I was able to skip work and go cheer her on. The moment I got close enough to see the school kids I knew I was in big trouble. It was definitely not a quarter-mile track. In my estimation it was more like a tenth of a mile track. I didn't notice a time limit on the flyer, but found out that they would be "jogging" for over 45 minutes. I say "jogging", because there were a lot of kids not moving very fast. To Skyler's credit, she jogged most of the time (except for the water breaks she took). When all was said and done Skyler had done 29 laps! I wonder how many other parents fall for this sham. I had mixed emotions during the whole ordeal. I was proud of Skyler, because she really did a good job of running, but I couldn't help thinking about how much money she was costing me. Now, not only did I have to cough up 29 bucks to the school, but I was also out my monthly allowance to Skyler. I've learned my lesson.

Here's Skyler in action. She used her hair to keep the other kids from getting too close.