When my son Tim was 5 he played tee ball. During his first season he was at bat in the final game of the season when time was called. A member of the opposing team, the pitcher, needed to tie his shoes. As I stood on the sidelines and noticed the lull in the game, I thought to look at my son to see how he handled the break. He stood there intent on the pitcher, watching the player tie his shoes. Looking at my son, I noticed a thought process in his mind. What was he thinking? Was he concentrating on the ball, thinking about meeting the ball with the bat? Was he thinking about his swing, 'keep it level, elbow up, watch the ball', all the instructions that his coaches and myself had told him? He was really concentrating.
When play resumed, Timmy put the ball in play, where it went by two infielders and he ended up on first base with a "hit".
Later that day, I decided to ask my son about it.
"Tim, what were you thinking when you were batting and that other player was tying his shoes?" I asked.
"I was thinking, 'I wish I could tie my shoes'."
And there you have it. Parents. We have this perception of who and what we think our kids are. That perception can be way off base. I was really expecting a baseball answer. I was thinking that all the knowledge we instilled in him had taken, but he had just turned 5. He was still just a baby. Caught in that middle ground of being thrust into school, wanting to be like the older kids. Wanting to know and learn.
That summer we worked on tying his shoes. This year we are working on Algebra. Time flies.
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2 comments:
This made me smile. Also reminded me of my daughter's one season of t-ball. Man, could that girl hit...but she wouldn't run. No amount of cheering or prompting by the coaches could get her to move from home plate. Until the last game of the year. She swung and hit a line drive to right field. And ran! She ran all the way to first base! I saw the coach lean over to talk to her and then burst out laughing. Later, he told me that when he went to congratulate her for getting on base, she looked up at him sweetly, tucked the hair behind one ear, and said, "Do you like my earrings?" That was her last attempt at t-ball...no organized sports for this girl that marches to the beat of her own drummer. And the question now is, "Do you like my nose piercing?" !!!!!
Kaymac, that is hilarious. Wow. Like I said, as parents we really don't know what is going on in those little heads. I don't think she wanted to be a baseball player. Thanks for sharing. That was funny.
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