I must be in a sports mood with this nice weather outside so I’ll talk more this week about the boys and their on field adventures. We are about two weeks into lacrosse season and I am seeing some big changes in Jake. I even see a difference between this and basketball that is just ending for him. Up to this point, sports was still not very serious. He was in the little kid divisions and in some cases, did not even play games. Something has changed this time around.

Lacrosse Clinic Last Fall

I should have known from that first night he put on his lacrosse gear. If I could have taped him strutting back to the car in his helmet and pads you would know what I mean. He just acted different. There was a swagger to his walk like “look at me, I am a lacrosse player.” Last year it was more like ” Wow…I get to hold a stick!” He may only be 8, but he practices with kids ages 8-10 and I think he his stepping up his game. I can see an athlete now where they used to just be a kid running around on the field.

It really hit me after his practice this week. He came back to the car to head home and when I helped him pull his helmet off he was a sweaty mess! I had never seen him like that before after any practice. His response also told me things were no longer the same…..”what mom, I was running…the other kids are like that too.” Funny how moms notice little things like this and they become big moments. I will forever remember that time, by the back of the car, as one of the moments when I realized he is not a little boy anymore.

When did you have a moment like that?

We are about to wrap up basketball season and move into lacrosse and tennis. I am glad that Jake and Sam have tried just about every sport they could. I want them to at least experience each one and then decide what they like and what they can live without. To this point we have given a thumbs down to soccer (no fault of the coach , but everything else seems to be fairly fun for them. Luckily, they have had good coaches along the way who have been supportive and great teachers. I think that has made all the difference in the world.

Great coaches care and understand they are working with kids..not adults.

I applaud those who coach, just as I applaud anyone who teaches. For the most part they have had volunteer coaches on base or out in town. The coaches give up their time to help my child learn some new skills and have fun while they do it. Each time the boys have tried something new, they have jumped in knowing nothing. They have often played with kids who have played before and that could go one of two ways. They could feel so far behind and overwhelmed that they never want to try again or they can feel secure, safe and supported and given time to develop on their own time table. Thankfully the latter has been the case each time and they have had a blast trying new sports.

With tennis ramping up, the boys will get some time with their favorite coach and Jake is thriving on the lacrosse field. It is so fun to watch them have fun and get better each week. I wish every child had experiences like this on the court or field…..sports should be fun at this age. After all, if they don’t have fun now and learn the fundamentals, how will they ever make it to the Horseshoe at Ohio State on Saturdays??

GO BUCKEYES!

Have you had great coaches? Any bad ones in the bunch?

I don’t think it is a surprise to anyone that we are HUGE Gator fans around here!!  Along with being a Gator fans, we are also huge Tim Tebow fans.

Recently, we watched a special on Tim Tebow with our tween. It was about Tebow preparing for the NFL draft. It showed how much hard work he put into preparing for the draft. We continue to be so impressed by the incredible athlete and positive role model he is to our tween.

He recently filmed a commercial for FRS sports drinks. In the commercial, he talks about how people always told him he wasn’t good enough, fast enough or strong enough to be a quarter back. It is a really awesome commercial and quite inspiring .

As parents, we need to find these great role models for our tweens. The media is full of quite a few scum bags (in my opinion) that I find it so refreshing to find such a good person and athlete as a role model for my tween.

I hope that Tim Tebow continues to find success in his NFL career with the Denver Broncos.  I hope kids can look to him as an inspiration in their lives rather then half naked singers who teach them that partying and beauty are more important then a strong character and work ethic!!

Way to go Tim Tebow, keep up the success and being such a great role model in the lives of our children!!

In December both Jake and Sam started playing basketball with MCCS on base. The sport is new to both of them, but we like them to try everything at least once so we signed them up. Both were excited to give it a shot (ha ha) even though Jake was bumped up to the older group because of his birthday. While they are not on the same team, like they usually are, both seem to be enjoying it….especially Sam.

I played basketball all through high school and I loved the experience. Being part of a team was wonderful and being 5’11″ didn’t hurt either Jake and Sam are both tall boys and that won’t change anytime soon. They will always be looked at to play basketball because of that and Sam has really taken to it. My dad got them a hoop for the driveway and as I type…Sam is out there….37 degrees or not….working as hard as he can on his dribbling and shooting. It is nice to see since he did not take to football and lacrosse like Jake did.

I know that both boys are still very young and what they like now may not be what they like as they get older. I can say that Sam has found two things he really loves now….hip hop dancing and basketball. It may be an odd couple but both will keep him active and healthy. Throw in some great friends as teammates or fellow dancers and both will also keep him happy. I look forward to watching both boys work hard and improve their skills and I am anxious to see if my predictions about who will stick with it end up to be correct

What sports do your kids enjoy? Did they like it right away?

Our Celtic ready for his first game

Jake had his first basketball game this weekend…a double header actually…and it was a rough start. As I shared in an earlier post, he was placed on a team of 8 and 9 year olds (he is only 7) based on his birthday. All of the kids on the team have played before and it really showed Saturday.

Jake looked confused, lost and upset. It was hard to watch. He was working so hard to try to understand what to do but you could tell it was all too much to try to do at once. He ran as fast as he could up and down that court and did everything his coach asked him to do. When all was said and done they won the first game and tied the second. It also turns out that I was way  more worried and stressed than Jake

While it was clear that Jake knew he was playing catch up the whole game, he also said he had fun. He has not allowed his lack of experience to dampen his enthusiasm to learn the sport. I could not have asked for a better attitude and what was rough for me during those two hours was fun for him. He and I both know he may enjoy it even more when he learns the difference between offense and defense, but for now he is content to learn the game and make new friends. Too bad more adults can’t have an attitude like that when they face a tough, new hurdle

Have you ever stressed over something for your Tween like that only to find they had no stress over it at all?