According to a new Swedish health study I live in the unhealthiest part of Sweden. I am still surprised about all the hikers and runners I see all over Ulricehamn every day and to me people come across as extremely healthy here. Nevertheless the study is probably true and we are all a part of the Internet generation stuck behind our computers.
A healthy lifestyle is the base of so much and it’s something you have to transfer to your children. Jochem and I try to encourage the kids to try different types of sports. In Ulricehamn we are spoiled with options but just as most of us we have ideas about what sports we like or what sports they should try. For years we desperately tried to get them into tennis but with no luck. Obviously the most important thing is to have fun and therefore the choice have always been theirs. We can try to direct these choices but they have to make them.
I turned our 200 kg dining room table into a table tennis table yesterday and for the last 48 hours we’ve all been playing table tennis together. Jochem was very reluctant at first and did not want to participate but as the kids got lauder and had so much fun he had to come and watch. After watching for a while and then getting into it he leaned over to me and said.
- I hate to admit it but I think she’s got it!
- Well that’s great, don’t you think? I said.
As a teenager Jochem played in the national youth team in the Netherlands and during his years at university he made his money playing table tennis in Germany. From an early age he spent several hours a day practicing but at 19 he got a knee injury that never really healed. When I met Jochem at 25 he was still playing but he had lost the energy for it and the love for the sport was gone.
He stopped and every time someone has brought up the question if our kids should not play table tennis Jochem has made clear that that is not a sport for his kids. I’ve never really understood his reluctance toward the sport but as the kids had interest in many other things it did not matter. Well, until now. When they came to me and asked why they couldn’t try it I had no arguments to say no. A quick explanation of the game and Ingrid started playing on the dining room table with a wooden stick being the net. It was directly obvious that the genes have been transferred. Naturally she needs a lot of practice and with only a talent you don’t get far but now she’s signed up at the local club and Jochem is almost convinced.
We are most likely not creating the next elite of sportspeople but hopefully we can get them into a healthy lifestyle where friendships and team spirit is a part of everyday life. And maybe Jochem can find some pleasure in a sport that for so long was a great part of his life?
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