Sunday, Aug. 21, 2005

1:00 p.m.

when i was a kid, i spent the majority of my time playing sports. my earliest memory is of being 4 years old, in my grandfather's backyard, learning how to hit a wiffleball. my grandfather is a big reason why i loved sports so much. i loved him, he loved sports, you do the math.

i can remember desperately wanting to play little league with my older brother, but you had to be 8 before you could, and i was still a few years away. my life was filled with sports anyway, from playing baseball, basketball, flag football, badminton, etc with friends, to attending professional baseball and hockey games and college basketball games with my family, to watching my grandfather umpire Twilight League games. it was what i spent most of my time thinking about and doing.

especially during the summer. i would have swim team pracice in the mornings, tennis team practice or matches in the afternoon, and softball practice or games in the evenings. i don't know how my parents did it. they had two other, equally active kids, but they were at every game, cheering in the stands. my mother must have spent her summer basically chauffering us around from activity to activity. it's one of those things i never appreciated until i had kids of my own.

now my kids have started playing organized sports. they are much younger than i was, playing t-ball and soccer at age 4. i want to be like my parents were, always there, always supportive.

here's my problem (emphasis on the "my")......neither of my kids is particularly interested in sports. they play because it's something to do, another opportunity to hang out with friends. but unlike myself, the only time they play any sport is at practice or during a game. and at those times "playing" a sport is debatable. especially for my son. he's the one picking daisies, chasing his shadow, wearing his glove as a hat, or simply sitting down on the field.

let me just say this.....i really don't have a problem with this in theory. i want my kids to have fun, try new things, and learn to be part of a team. i don't need them to be the star of the team, or even any good, as long as they are having fun and trying their best.

sounds good in theory, right? for me it's a little harder in practice. when i see the soccer ball roll right past my son's feet (sometimes over his feet) without him even attempting to kick it, i have to bite my tongue. when he's on the t-ball field wearing his glove as a hat, i have to bite my tongue. when my daughter is more concerned about whether or not her practice clothes match than if she is learning how to play, i have to bite my tongue.

because, while i would love for my children to share my interest in sports, i don't want to pass my level of competitiveness on to them. i want them to love themselves more than anything else. sometimes i slip up and yell "KidOne, pay attention!" or "KidTwo, watch the ball!" but for the most part i think i do pretty well.

and KidOne is very excited about his soccer game this week. he's the snack person for the day. and as far as he's concerned, it's all about the snack.