“Mom, come down here NOW! You need to see this,” said my oldest.

She had just gotten back from gymnastics practice and it was late for a Monday night, almost 8pm. She should have been in the shower. But, like most nights, she was down in the basement practicing – even though she’d just returned from a two-hour session in the gym.

“Honey, your body must be tired. It’s late. Show me tomorrow,” I called down.

The sink was overflowing with dishes from dinner and her two younger siblings, while showered, were still running around the family room. I had to get them up to bed before returning to clean the kitchen.

But my daughter continued to yell.

And so I went downstairs. There I found her lunging toward her gymnastics bar, catching it and then almost, almost, pulling herself up into a kip. A kip is a bar skill that is a level above her, yet lately she has become obsessed with mastering it.

“Look, Mom! I’m so close!” she said. Her eyes sparkled, her whole body shook with excitement as she performed the exercise over and over.

“You’re right, honey, you’re getting so close!” I said. “Now it really is time for bed…”

She cut me off before I could finish. “Mom, I feel like I’ve almost got it. Can you look up any other exercises I can do to help?”

I frowned, looking at the time. “How about tomorrow we look into it after school?”

“But Mom, you’re already down here. Please?”

I sighed, then pulled out my phone. We picked a video and watched it.

“I already do most of those exercises,” she said.

“Then I guess it’s just practice. New skills take time.”

“I know. And when I finally get it, it’s going to be a magical moment. But it’ll only be magical if you’re here.”

I stopped and looked into my daughter’s glittering eyes. I could tell her mind was with mine, back in April 2020 when we’d practiced together each day, using only YouTube videos and this basement.

And I knew she was right.

“Okay, you tell me next time you try it,” I said. “But don’t ever forget. Every time I get to watch you is a magical moment.”

She smiled, then headed upstairs. As I followed, I prayed she’d always want me there by her side.