A bittersweet moment

I am going to chime in with a few age old adages, "Time flies, kids get old fast, enjoy it while you can." Let me just say, that while they are all true, it kinda sucks.

Yes, I said it. It does suck. Because you vacillate between loving seeing them grow up and lamenting that they will never be 7 again. Or 3. Or 2. Or, a crying little infant. And, to all the sleepless moms out there, I am sorry. I have been there. I have done it. I probably hated it. But, the key word is "probably" because my memory is so short that I may turn back time if I were given the option.

So, my kid is 13. He is taller than me. He wears cologne. His shoes are a size 11. He has a laugh that makes him seem like a man. He says things that I have not told him. When he is quiet, a simple question will just not do. And, when he blows it on a court or a field, I am totally NOT allowed to run out and save him.

We attended a basketball team party tonight. I dropped him off and returned 30 minutes later. Wouldn't you know, he hadn't yet eaten a thing. But, readily accepted a plate I prepared for him.

Yay! He still needs me.

A drama

Youth sports...two words, lots of thoughts. I grew up playing sports. At 7 years old I joined a rec softball league. I walked to practice on my own. It was just across a large field behind my babysitters trailer. You could see the softball diamond from her bedroom window. I continued playing until I was 15 years old and many other sports were also added to my agenda. I have vague memories of most games but, fairly vividly I rememeber the "crazies". Those parents or fans that apparently have no idea that there are other people around and have abosolutely no blip on the radar reminding them that this is YOUTH SPORTS.

So now, I am a parent and my oberservations are filtered through adult eyes. I am still amazed. There has been much publicity surrounding crazed and delusional parents and rightly so. Tonight, I had the very distinct privilege of sitting next to the wildest woman on the planet. From the high pitched grate of her voice, to the constant gnawing of her fingernails and down to the absolute total disregard of the reputation of her own daughter, this woman killed it. At one point, I was convinced she needed a psychiatric assesment. I am feeling incredibly judgemental, and I know that is wrong. But, this woman takes the cake. She will not be a vague memory for me. She has earned a top spot in the the highlights of the depravity of parents and YOUTH SPORTS.