Friday, May 25, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Parting with the Pirates
Last night we watched as Grayson rounded the bases for the last time as a first time t-ball player. We'll never forget our season with the Pirates. On so many levels, most of which will remain private between Brad and I, the experience has changed us forever. All of us.
For me it was a lesson of surrender - stepping back and letting Brad take the lead. This is his show. And rightly so. This is father and son stuff. I'll watch from the sidelines (that's football, I know) as faithful cheerleader and novice photo journalist. But I have to admit, I was hesitant about all of this. If you ask him he's 4 years, 11 months and "how many days" mom? But to me, he's just 4. And 4 is not 5. To me, he's still Cush, and always will be. The first time he put on a batting helmet he looked as if he could tip over with the slightest breeze. How could he possibly run the bases with that thing on? But he did and won the hearts of all of those there that night as he jaunted, ever so casually of course from base to base. How could you not fall in love with him - our Littlest Leaguer.
As for Brad, I'll let him chime in with a blog post of his own - his p.o.v on the Pirates. From where I sat, I saw a proud dad and a committed coach.
I can't wait to ask 18 or 20 year old Grayson what he learned when he thinks back to his t-ball days. Surely he'll say that's when he first learned the importance of teamwork and what it means to start what you finish. Did I mention we had a hard time getting him out of the dugout for the first game? I wasn't the least bit prepared for that conversation. Remember ... he's 4. I had to dig deep and channel my inner Tiger Mom - a healthy dose of my father's firm but pragmatic approach mixed with my mother's softer, innate sensibilities. "Your part of a team now, they are depending on you." I think the rest of it was nearly word for word plagiarism of my father's "You Can't Quit Now" speech (circa 1988, Texas State Gymnastic Championships, 3rd rotation, Uneven Bars) But it worked! He shuffled on out to box, swung for the fence and never looked back.
Now to end to this retrospective - this is Grayson "warming up" as we walked over to the fields one night ... what level is your motor on?
For me it was a lesson of surrender - stepping back and letting Brad take the lead. This is his show. And rightly so. This is father and son stuff. I'll watch from the sidelines (that's football, I know) as faithful cheerleader and novice photo journalist. But I have to admit, I was hesitant about all of this. If you ask him he's 4 years, 11 months and "how many days" mom? But to me, he's just 4. And 4 is not 5. To me, he's still Cush, and always will be. The first time he put on a batting helmet he looked as if he could tip over with the slightest breeze. How could he possibly run the bases with that thing on? But he did and won the hearts of all of those there that night as he jaunted, ever so casually of course from base to base. How could you not fall in love with him - our Littlest Leaguer.
As for Brad, I'll let him chime in with a blog post of his own - his p.o.v on the Pirates. From where I sat, I saw a proud dad and a committed coach.
I can't wait to ask 18 or 20 year old Grayson what he learned when he thinks back to his t-ball days. Surely he'll say that's when he first learned the importance of teamwork and what it means to start what you finish. Did I mention we had a hard time getting him out of the dugout for the first game? I wasn't the least bit prepared for that conversation. Remember ... he's 4. I had to dig deep and channel my inner Tiger Mom - a healthy dose of my father's firm but pragmatic approach mixed with my mother's softer, innate sensibilities. "Your part of a team now, they are depending on you." I think the rest of it was nearly word for word plagiarism of my father's "You Can't Quit Now" speech (circa 1988, Texas State Gymnastic Championships, 3rd rotation, Uneven Bars) But it worked! He shuffled on out to box, swung for the fence and never looked back.
Now to end to this retrospective - this is Grayson "warming up" as we walked over to the fields one night ... what level is your motor on?
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