deep thoughts

Last week, something happened that made me sad.  Jordan was warming up with his baseball team on the field before their game and I overheard some boys from the opposing team talking.  They said, "Hey, look at that kid!  Look how small he is!  Is he even on the roster??"  They kept on talking for several minutes, completely unaware of his hovering mother nearby.  

I was about a millisecond away from bursting out in his defense.  Saying things like, "HE HASN'T HIT HIS GROWTH SPURT YET!  WE HAVE A LATE BLOOMER GENE THAT RUNS IN BOTH OF OUR FAMILIES!  SIZE DOESN'T MATTER IN BASEBALL!  YOU ARE MEAN INSENSITIVE BOYS!" 

 Fortunately, I kept my cool long enough for another of their teammates to walk over and say, "Hey guys, that's Jordan Beck and he is a really good player."  

I walked away with tears in my eyes, thankful to that boy for sticking up for my kid so I didn't have to go helicopter mom and make a scene.  The game went on and he showed them why he deserves to be on that team by the way he played.

I think as parents, we feel our kids' pain even more deeply than they do sometimes.  Maybe because we have watched them from their first moments of existence on this earth as they grow and learn and develop.  And, we probably have hopes and dreams for their future potential that they cannot even fathom in their day to day lives.  I love each of my kids.  They might drive me nuts sometimes but at the end of each day, I am overwhelmed by thoughts of how I can/need to be a better mom.  Of how I need to be more patient, more attentive, a better teacher/example,  and less concerned with my never-ending list of things-to-do.  The experience I shared is one that Jordan will have to deal with a lot until he turns 16 and grows 10 inches in one summer (like most of the boys in our families).  Hopefully he will be a better person for going through these things.  He has to work twice as hard as the kids who are bigger and stronger than him and he rarely complains or even notices, for that matter.  

I am trying to raise my kids to not make excuses for their weaknesses or shortcomings.  Sometimes that means I can't always take their side when things go wrong, even if I really want to.  Someday they will understand that it was much harder for me to refrain from making it all better every time something didn't go their way.

Sincerely, 

 Jack Handey