The other day, I was running round doing errands on a rare day off and I happened to drive past the park where my son spent six wonderful years playing little league. As I looked over, I remember dozens of days watching him play baseball, chatting with the other parents. I remembered how as each season progressed, he became closer to his teammates and, while happy my ex and I were there watching the games, it was more and more his own thing; he and his teammates talked about the bats they used, stances and other fine points of the game.
In a few weeks, he turns 18-- a legal adult. A few months after that, he's going off to college.
I remember being the most scared guy in the world the first time I picked him up after his birth. I couldn't believe I was responsible for this little guy for the next 18 years. That time seemed a million years away. And now it's nearly here.
When did that happen?
3 comments:
Thanks for the reminder to enjoy these days ... sometimes it is tempting to whine about how busy I am, but I have a feeling that in 10 years, I'll miss these lovely afternoons at the ballpark watching 8th graders play.
I remember the seasons-- sitting in a winter coat and gloves at spring practices where I couldn't feel my feet and hands at the end, and summer games in brutal heat. And enjoying it all. As my friend Minnesota Mom says, "The days are long and the years are short."
Very thought provoking...
Somebody once said that "they don't really belong to us, they belong to world. Our job is to prepare them to meet it."
It's a bittersweet thing when our kids reach adulthood. We've been through it five times. Looking back, I KNOW the period I miss the most is when my son played little league. I REALLY miss those days and miss the kid that he was...
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