Making Menchie's Proud

Several years ago I wrote a story on here about Sonya's gymnastics experience of climbing the rope. She was just five when she climbed that rope and so determined to do it.  Now she can climb that thing four times in a row.  Lana is still taking gymnastics but had yet to master the rope.  She would get about halfway up, look down and decided "forget it" then drop.  Sonya and I kept encouraging her to go all the way, but unlike Sonya, she just doesn't care as much about things.  She never got riled up about it or worried about it the way Sonya did.  She wasn't ready and really didn't care one way or another if she did it or not.  Just one of the major differences in those two.  Sonya will make herself crazy trying to do something and do it right.  Lana will do it when she's good and ready.  No amount of coaxing or bribing is going to make a difference.  She will care when she wants to.  The end. Although whenever she did get to the top, she knew she would get a trip to Menchie's, just like Sonya did.  

Then we went to Disney on Ice a few weeks ago and Andy is certain that is what sparked her interest of finally getting to the top of that rope.  There was a point in the show where Ariel spun and did tricks on a rope above the ice.  I did notice after that she was more determined to try and get to the top of the one at gymnastics class.  There were a couple of classes she almost got there, but I wasn't there to encourage her or see it, so she didn't quite get there.  

Then last week before class she said, 

"I'm gonna do it today! I'm going to climb to the top of the rope!" 

I made sure I was there by the end of class just in case, and damn if that kid didn't do exactly what she said she would. 

You might be able to tell from the video that there was a point she contemplated giving up, but I started my encouragement yelling and I  think that helped to keep her going.  Well, at least that's what I thought.  

On our way home that night as I was congratulating her and telling her how proud I was, I asked her if she almost gave up.  She admitted she did.  

"Why did you keep going, because I started yelling at you to keep going?  Did that help?" I asked, feeling like a proud supportive parent.  

"No," she told me.  "It was because I really wanted to go to Menchie's."

Nice.  Well, whatever it takes I guess!