Nina was very sad when Flamengo lost to PSG.
The next day, I sent a message:
– Nina, are you better?
– Hi dinda, I’m fine now. Next year there will be more.
– Great. And winning and losing is part of it, right? You, who are great at sports, know this well.
– And truth!
Nina is my 10-year-old goddaughter. She loves football and it’s no wonder. Her parents always encouraged her to practice physical activity. He started football at seven, plays volleyball, tennis, swims, and loves it. Since she was little, she has been going to stadiums with her father, a Flamengo fanatic.
Nina is sociable and intelligent and, thanks to sport, she makes even more friends – boys and girls –, learns to have discipline, to celebrate victories and understand that defeats are part of life. As he also travels to watch games with his father, he has the privilege of getting to know other cultures from an early age. He became an extremely perceptive child. Being active as a child keeps her away from her cell phone. Playing outdoors is much more fun than being stuck in the virtual world.
I’m impressed every time we talk. Curious and interested, she debated on an equal footing with me about the World Cup. When I ask what he wants to be when he grows up, he says that, for now, he dreams of being a professional athlete.
I see a lot of myself in her. When I was a kid, my parents also gave me the freedom to try whatever I wanted. I did swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, ballet, synchronized swimming, jazz, handball, volleyball, beach volleyball, capoeira. Thanks to their support and my enthusiasm for sports, I grew from an energetic child to an outgoing teenager and a healthy adult. I even played video games – with Nina’s mother, in fact, my best friend since we were little. But no game came close to the pleasure of getting on the bike and pedaling to the beach, on the sunny days of Rio de Janeiro. I imagine that, not by chance, I graduated in journalism and working in sports became routine.
Those who practice physical activity will not only have a happier childhood and youth, but will also be better prepared for the challenges of adulthood and old age. Sport increases self-esteem while showing our limitations. It brings resilience and makes us see that the best rewards only come with effort. Those who exercise will reach the end of their lives with less suffering and better health. It’s never too late, but the sooner you start, the better.
Four years ago, I wrote a column titled, “Fathers and Mothers, Take Your Daughters to Play Soccer.” I told how, here in England, girls are encouraged to play without any type of prejudice, and that friends from Brazil with young daughters tell me that it is possible to find football lessons for them. Of course there is a lot to be done. Continuing with the change of mentality in parts of society, making the environment of schools and clubs welcoming and inclusive for girls, in any sport they want to practice, as happens with Nina.
As we were at the end of the year, I left a suggestion in that column that I repeat.
For those who have children, nephews, godchildren or the like: how about giving something related to sport as a Christmas gift? Or take the child to watch or practice, it doesn’t matter. Rest assured that in the future, she will thank you.
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