I have been watching my son play sports since he was four years old. Sometimes
it was as exciting as watching paint dry and other times I was just blown away by
the sheer luck, happenstance or do I dare say talent that allowed some pretty great
plays to unfold before my eyes.
I have had to learn some cardinal rules:
1. Mother's do not belong in the dug out.
2. You cannot cover your eyes and grimace when your son takes a
particularly hard hit.
3. You need to ignore other parents negative comments...ok, screw that one,
I could never idly sit by if my son's "talent" is being called into question.
4. Let the coaches do their job.
I have to admit that I am sometimes a nervous wreck when my son pitches. He is
a lefty with a good arm and he throws hard & fast.....he sometimes misses the plate
completely. I am more worried about him hitting other players than actually striking
someone out! What is wrong with me?!!! I should be celebrating my sons ability and
all I can think about is someone else getting hurt.
That is so wrong
The same thing happens in football. I am never worried about TJ getting hurt.
I worry about the little guy on the team or the fact that kid ends up playing both lines
and takes hit after hit. It barely registers that he is dishing out some great tackles
on his own. His football coach once came up to me and said "I don't know what TJ
had for breakfast, but I'm pretty sure he broke some human rights laws out there
today and I LOVED it!" I didn't know whether to beam with pride or remember
what I fed him for breakfast!
I do know that this amazing kid can be so sensitive with me it would break your
heart. I know that he thinks his dad is amazing and just wants to be like him.
I know that I need to have a little more faith in his ability and capacity to navigate
life a little more on his own.
Letting go, even a little tiny bit every day still breaks my heart.
