Free Write "Two Kinds"

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In "Two Kinds", the mother had extremely high hopes for her daughter. She was expecting her to become famous and a "prodigy". She was a lot like my own mother. I started diving when I was six years old. I had a natural talent and got very good very fast. At first, I only dove in the summers; every mornings from Monday to Friday. After I started wining first place every meet for a while, my mother thought I could go bigger. She had me try out for a club team. I made it on to the team and started diving every day, all year. My life became completely surrounded by diving. I would get home from school and go straight to practice, just as Jing-mei had to practice the piano everyday at four o’clock. My coach started having the same dreams for me as my mom; they were expecting me to go to the Olympics. I was had to quit girl scouts, I missed birthday parties, I could not have sleepovers. At the age of eleven I competed in nationals. It was an amazing accomplishment, but after I got home I realized something about myself. I no longer loved diving, I actually hated it most of the time. I was tired and worn out. I wanted to be normal and have a normal teenage life. Just as the Chinese daughter had her moment of defiance, I did too. I quit diving and did not care how much it upset my mom.  She would bring it up all the time, “Just go to practices once in a while so you don’t loose your skills”, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t dive for a few years until I went to high school. Although I was not as great, and no one thought I was going to the Olympics, I had fun with it once again. I was still mostly undefeated and went to state competitions, but in addition to that I also had a normal life. I was able to go out on the weekends and do things that are not involved with diving. In the end of the story, Jing-mei has an epiphany. My mom and I had one also, once we realized that I made the right decision.