Parenting can be tough. Our oldest son is 16 and a junior. He’s in the middle of SAT prep, AP and college courses, swim season. All the things that add stress and take sleep. Add in he had to make a big decision about how he was going to invest his summer, and he’s been short with me. A lot. Lately.
It’s hard to know when to push. When to give space. When to edge closer.
Last night I got it right. I wrote about it and want to catpure it here. Because I don’t want to forget the truth I was reminded of last night as I sat in the bleachers in another hot, muggy pool.
Basically, this is a post for me. But maybe it’s for you, too. What I know for sure is it’s a lesson I don’t want to forget. Tonight was HighSchool sectionals for our 16 year old. He’s a junior. There’s only one more season.
He’s had the weirdest swimming injury of the season… not an accolade one aspires to… especially when it involves muscles getting so tense they pull three ribs out…the sports doc will confirm next week…after sectionals…because we are a warrior who guts it out for the team.
It hasn’t been an easy season. He has consistently down played the importance of us coming to meets…maybe because I’ve been too stressed and this is his attempt to make life a little easier.
But tonight you asked one more time. Are you sure you don’t want us to come? He hemmed. He hawed. You said we’re coming anyway. Then he said it was probably good because he didn’t think he’d advance to finals. It’s been a hard season. He’s still hurt. He’s a warrior, but he isn’t swimming his events.
So you went anyway.
It was a night you didn’t want to miss or you wouldn’t have seen the fist-pump at the end of 💯 back. The ecstatic high five with the coach from the kid who is hard on himself and a cheerleader for everyone else. The kid freaking did his best. Injured. He made it back on Saturday after going two seconds under his goal time. And he cut 5 seconds on the 200 IM. Injured.
Those are the moments he would have said went ok. The race was okay. Hearing after the fact wouldn’t have been nearly the same. So you went. And you are so glad. Because you were there. And that moment will never come again.
My next book Flight Risk releases on April 7th. Be sure to preorder your copy today. You can find links to all the places by clicking on the image below.
