Watching Them Grow Up

Monday, April 28, 2014



So this past Saturday my boy had his second and third soccer game- his second and third games ever... of any kind.
This is his first sport ever, which seems very unusual for a 9.5 year old these days, huh?
Every year he was asked what he thought about baseball, soccer, basketball...but just nothing really.
I don't know, maybe if we had pushed it more he would've done something sooner, but I've never really been the parent to force my kids to do
things they're not really interested in just because I/we want them to or because everyone else is doing it and that's just kind of what you do...
and I knew that in time he would be interested in something. Right?

Well, finally last year he said he wanted to try soccer and then due to an ongoing foot/leg problem he
was seeing a specialist for, it was decided that he could not play and would just have to wait another year...
so this year was the  B  I  G   year.





The week before his first practice he told me that he just wasn't sure what to expect and that he
"doesn't really see himself playing on a team sport, but I'm going to do it anyway..."
That's my boy.
He's a thinker and like me, not always sure about trying new things and wonders ahead of time just how they will go, what it will be like, etc.
But then we got all of the stuff he needed and he was so excited, telling me the day before his first practice that maybe he should
wear his shin guards to school(under his jeans) just to get used to them.
He didn't of course, but I could tell that he was both so excited and nervous.
And so was I.

So far the Bears have lost 2 games and won 1.
I don't know if he will play again next year or play for the next 5 years.
I don't know if this will open him up to trying
something different(baseball maybe... but no pressure!) or if he will decide that-
Okay, I've tried something... I'm good now.






But I can tell you this, in just a few short weeks  I have watched Wyatt go from being unsure and knowing nothing of the game, to really trying
to understand the rules, enjoying the games and practices, to being a great little teammate to the rest of the boys.
On Saturday I got to watch him win his first game, lose a game, and make me so proud of him
at both.
As I was biting my tongue over a super-annoying loud mouth parent yelling at her kid next to us and laughing to myself a little bit that I am in fact,
a Soccer Mom, I  think I was spacing out a bit, not totally paying attention(there were 2 games in a row in my defense) when I heard Wyatt's voice.
I looked out and saw him high-fiving one of the boys on his team and saying;
"Great job, Isaiah! Way to go!"
Something about that and his confidence in the way he said it, right there in that moment just
HIT ME and I started crying right there under my sunglasses in my lawn chair, while getting a little sun burned at my boy's soccer game.
After that I tried to listen a little closer and heard him say similar things to various teammates, encouraging them, telling them good job and giving
lots of high fives.

In that instant I simultaneously wondered where on earth my baby went and I wanted him back
right this instant AND I don't want that baby back at all, we're good right here because look what I get to see right now with this amazing
nine-year-old of mine.





Oh, this whole watching them grow up part... it's so hard.
And so cool.
It's heartbreaking.
And so freaking awesome, too.
Sometimes these moments are so normal and mundane, you hardly take notice and then in the next moment you feel like your heart is either
going to just burst with pride or break right in two.
This thing called parenthood, it really isn't for the faint of heart, is it?

Sigh.

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5 comments:

  1. Bless him, such a sweet boy :) I love their little faces in the black and white photo, the concentration right there, it's intense. You can't beat natural photos can you.
    I completely agree with your approach to parenthood, not pushing them to do things and letting them find their own way. This is the kind of parent I want to be when I eventually have kids one day (hopefully soon, I'm getting way too broody, need to get the wedding out of the way first though)
    I feel as though I have learnt so much from you on your little blog and so many things I want to do with my own kids like the holiday lists, the dates and just spending quality time together. I know that no ones life is perfect and I like how honest you are about things. I think your kinda cool, don't ever change :)
    Have a graeat week x x x

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  2. Wonderful. Just wonderful! Loved it.

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  3. Think you're doing a fabulous job:) with the whole letting them decide when what and if they want to do something…..My son who just turned 18 in March began playing hockey at 8 (here in Canada that seems like way too late LOL) He always enjoyed it and the first year they won the championship, another year they only one one game. He played house league again this past winter and still is thinking about playing next year but it's up to him. He also has a musical gene and has played bass, ukelele, and is currently playing banjo. Tonight my wonderful 18 year old is also joining me tonight for beginners yoga…love watching them experience and try new things.

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  4. Amy,,, lovely post, and just so you know, it doesn't get any easier. My youngest (20!) bought her plane ticket yesterday for her Junior year in Amsterdam (she already goes to school 1000 miles away), with no return date, and it's killing me. In a good way, but still. I know we infused the love of travel in her...her first trip to Italy was when she was 8 and since then her room has been covered in maps. But I find myself feeling proud, excited and delighted...while also feeling my heart breaking just a little bit. Sometimes more than a little. BTW, she never played soccer (certainly the only kid in our town never to play), but spent her years on the softball field. Have a blast...and keep those sunglasses, and sunscreen, handy.

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  5. You described parenthood so accurately... put into words what I feel a lot of the time...

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