My DI (destination imagination) team

The DI (destination imagination) competition was today. For those who don't know, DI is a creative problem solving program for kids. I have had the (sometimes dubious) honor to be a team manager for my sons team for a couple of years now. The team manager is not allowed to solve the problems or make the props, costumes, or backdrops. The kids do all of that with no adult help. I get to provide my house, my food, my patience, encouragement and love.

As the competition gets closer my life gets crazier. The kids meet more often and longer. This year there was balsa wood, foil and glitter everywhere in my house. There was glitter even in the fridge! Last year is was newspaper and glue. My boys love DI and not to brag, but they are pretty good at it. They have won 1st place a couple of times and 2nd once. They have also won awards for extreme creativity.

Well today the boys and their team performed. The skit was amazing, the best they had performed it yet. It was funny and cute. You could actually hear them speaking! The downside, their challenge was a structure challenge. They labored over this structure for weeks! It had to be made of aluminum foil, wood and glue. They had a great structure, they tested it, it held over a hundred pounds and weighed only eleven grams.

Today when they were putting the very first weight on, it slipped out of the boy's hand. So instead of being gently and slowly placed on the structure to be sure it held, it crashed down and instantly caused the structure to break.

As my heart was breaking for them, I was so impressed with them. They didn't even stop or break stride with the skit. They just kept going! And after their skit, they hugged each other and complimented each other. No one blamed anyone or got mad. They thanked the judges and their parents.

Tonight we will go to the awards, and we may (most likely) will not win. And although that will be hard for them, I know they will handle it with poise. For our team this year at DI was a success. The growth and maturity in them has been amazing. And I remember why I help the kids with this program. And why, crazy or not, we will be back next year doing it all again.

P.S. They got 6th which was amazing considering they only got 12 points out of 140 for the weight held by the structure. Still very proud and as we were leaving they asked can we do this again next year, and win?