So, why am I sad?
When you have a medically complex child, many times the
healthy sibling(s) takes a back seat. This
has happened on more than one occasion and it kills you as a parent to short
change your own kid.
For the ten years
that Russell has been with us it seems he has dominated many things we do. Nicole was 2 when Russell was born and even
at that very young age she has been a tower of strength. She has rolled with almost everything that
has been thrown her direction. Her easy
going personality and ability to adapt to some very awkward situations has made
our job as parents immensely easier.
That is why when we get a chance to do things - just for
Nicole - it takes on more importance.
The second reason why the end of basketball season is a
sombre event for me is that way back in the dark ages, I coached Junior High
Girls Basketball. Seeing Nicole play now
brought up a lot of very fond memories.
I tried really hard not to go into coaching mode with Nicole to which I
was only moderately successful.
Regardless of her basketball skills, what impresses me most is how her
personality serves her so well on the basketball court. She is actually a pretty good shooter and
passer. Passing the ball to a teammate
so that they can score is totally in keeping with her personality.
There was one thing that she did during one of her games
that I was most proud of and it had nothing to do with basketball. While Nicole was on the bench one of her teammates
got hurt and had to leave the game. The game went on and when I glanced back at
the bench where Nicole was sitting I noticed the injured player who was in
tears and Nicole with her arm around her.
When we have kids we have no idea how they will turn
out. Susan and I have tried really hard
to enjoy our kids for who they are and at whatever age they were. It’s easy to think ahead and think how much
better it will be when our kids are older and will be more self-sufficient. Then they get a little older and we start
missing some of those earlier days when they may have been a little more work
but did so many other things that that made us smile. And perhaps didn’t talk
back quite so much. I always try to encourage
other new parents who might be feeling a little overwhelmed and that may not be
getting much sleep to enjoy the moment with their kids. Those special moments with your kids are
fleeting and in a blink of an eye they are gone. I’m constantly amazed when I observe our kids
wandering around the house and wondering…who are these children? And how did
they get so huge? It seems like it was
not that long ago that I could carry them around like a football in one
arm. Those days are long gone.
Being a parent is an adventure. It is never dull. There are many times that we wish we could get
a do-over but unfortunately we can’t.
Tomorrow is another day and we get another opportunity to try to get it
right. Now, I can’t wait for spring so
we can get the basketball hoop up in the driveway so we can work on that "lay up."
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