Let It Go

Just a quick little anecdote about the value of cutting back and letting go. 
My middle daughter (7) is in dance and loves it. 

Her older brother (9) is in taekwondo and loves it. 
For about 18 months, my daughter also did taekwondo. Mostly, she enjoyed it, but in the past 4-5 months a combination of chronic illness, her best friend dropping out, and the timing of the class (5:50 pm) took most of the fun away. Nearly every class night would be met with "Oh No, it's taekwondo!" and then we'd cajole and push her to get ready and rush out the door. It was frustrating to everyone. I don't know why it took us so long to cut the cord.
I mean I do know. First, she usually admitted to enjoying the class once she was there. She liked her teacher. Her big brother often got to help in her class. We'd paid for a lot of classes missed due to legitimate illness and I had this notion she could make them up. I think martial arts are great for discipline and fitness. I value following through and working past rough points.  Her brother experienced a rough patch with taekwondo a year or so ago and we are all glad that we didn't let him drop out. And, it's ridiculously hard for me to "give up" on anything. There's this loyalty / stubborn gene in me that feels like a failure when I do. *
Finally, this week, I managed to let go anyway. And it's a weight off everyone's shoulders! Her own sense of relief is palpable. She's happy on taekwondo nights because she gets to play with her little sister at the park while big brother practices. His class isn't until 7, so no more rushed dinner. We should have done this back in February, if not sooner!
My short-story-long to say: if, like me, it's hard to let go, take a step back and really examine what you're holding on to. Are you making the decision to carry on for yourself or your kids? And it's it really the right one? Cutting back on commitments isn't failure: it can be life giving!

* If I look back on my own life and count the things (jobs, classes, commitments) that I deliberately, proactively quit rather than waiting for a door to be slammed in my face, I can see the pattern. I stick with things out of habit, not wanting to disappoint others, and comfort - in addition to the more admirable traits of loyalty and dependability.