Happy Monday everyone!
Here are some reflections over the previous few weeks of what’s been on my mind.
What I LEARNED
My children both have a passion for fitness and sports, however recently, my son’s football team has disbanded, leaving him with the option to join other football teams. It helps that he is quite a good player and has consistently been a top scorer across most years he has played, however last week I learned a personal lesson in parenting and life that I thought I would share.
Given that he is a good player, I thought he would naturally be keen to dive straight back into another team, however I could tell that something wasn’t quite right. The passion in his belly that he usually had just wasn’t there. I was keen to explore this further to find out why, and I so spent time exploring what had changed.
It turned out that the lack of proper coaching he had in the final season was a catalyst for falling out of love with the game. Up until last season, he felt that he was learning and developing to be a better player which in turn was helping the team to be more successful, and the results for both the team and himself were testament to this. However, one season with a lack of coaching clearly showed the opposite in terms of the results and motivation to play.
This is in stark contrast to other team sports my son plays in. Having gone back into rugby last season after a break from playing mini rugby, the coaching is the opposite end of the spectrum. Dedication, compassion, support and a nurturing cohesive environment have been created at my son’s rugby club to enable the boys to learn, develop and most importantly have fun!
It turns out that part of my sons decision to stop football, is to dedicate more of his own time into rugby as not only is he enjoying being part of this team and the culture that’s been screamed, but that also he wants to repay the coaches by becoming a better player for the team himself. To do this he has asked to use the time at the weekend for which he would usually be playing football and instead go to the gym to improve his overall fitness alongside learning new sports.
As I reflect, there are so many life lessons I have learned from this. The power of coaching, the importance of culture and the passion to learning and developing, alongside enjoying and having fun with what you do. You might be good at something, but if these attributes are not in place then it doesn’t matter how good you are.
What I LIKED
One of my New Year’s goals was to get back into reading before bed. This wasn’t just about reading myself, but also hanging on to the joy of reading to my kids before bed, for as long as they want me to. Although my daughter is now at an age where my presence to read to her before bed has now expired, my son still enjoys reading a couple of chapters together before bed.
If you are looking for a great book to read with older children, or even on your own, then I’d recommend the 3 books written by Hannah Gold. We are currently reading her latest book called Finding Bear, and my son and I are totally gripped and cant wait to read the next chapter together.
Each of Hannah’s books are fantastically paced adventure stories that pulls you in from the first page, not letting you go until the last word and still leaves you hoping for more. There’s an important message in there about climate change and the impact on wildlife, yet still provides hope that our young people are compassionate and we leave the future in safe hands with Ambassadors like the lead characters. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster!
What I LOVE
For anyone who knows me, will realise that I have a bit of a guilty pleasure in that I have a sweet tooth. Not to any great excess, ahem, but never like to be rude and say no if someone has taken the time to bake some yummy treasts.
Now the good thing that halts from fuelling my sweet tooth is the fact that I am not a great baker. I’ll always give it a go, however its never quite the same as when someone else bakes.
What I Love however, is the fact that my daughter has taught herself, with the tuition of my wife who is also a great cook, to bake. Not only am I proud of her to learn a new skill, but I also love the fact that she is turning into an amazing chef who bakes the best cookies and brownies.
I’m not sure if I love what this is doing to my waistline, but I love the fact on a Friday night that she will knock up some gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies, straight out of the oven and mix with some Vanilla Ice Cream to create a taste explosion that ticks all the sweet tooth boxes.
Now, time for me to plan my exercise goals for the week!
Final thought
Here’s a song to start your week that I listened to recently, and reminded me of University days and a time in my life when I had no commitments and life was generally care free. Enjoy.
Have a great week all!
If you would like to read the latest Monday Morning Musings then subscribe here:
- Stories, Suppers, and the Small Joys of Learning – From 8th Dec 2025.
- Small Experiments, Big Reminders- From 8th Sept 2025.
- Adapting to AI, Moments that Matter & Living with Lions – From 23rd June 2025.
- Baking, Biking and Being Back in Touch- From 21st April 2025.
- Seasons of Change & Rekindling the Love of Learning – From 24th March 2025.
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