The summer before his freshman year of high school, my son’s school offered a summer camp for kids who planned on trying out for the soccer team in August. Jonah had played soccer in special clubs and varsity leagues since he was five. While he hadn’t hit his growth spurt yet, we fully expected him to make the team. Yet, confidence in his ability wasn’t why we decided not to send him to the camp. 

The camp cost $800 for one month of training. While we’re certainly not the richest family in town, we could have afforded the camp. Still, it bugged me that our public school was shaking down kids for extra money. What happened to the kids who couldn’t afford that $800? 

After much debate, we decided that we didn’t want to pay the $800 bribe, and it had an impact. He didn’t make the team. My kid was devastated. 

That was probably the last time that I let politics interfere with my job as a parent, which is to help foster my child’s abilities. We said no to a fancy private college (really couldn’t do it), but we said yes to other perks at his public college (fraternity, fancy dorm, car). 

We learned one parenting lesson the hard way — If you have to choose between your kids’ well-being and political consistency, choose your kids.

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