game and not just because I wanted him to play. Again, I just
let him talk, but my emotions had changed from being mad to
being proud of him — and even a little choked up.
We finally arrived back at the field and found his sandal, and
then I decided to go get some smoothies so we could continue
our discussion. Over the smoothies we discussed his
performance a bit more, why he had felt sluggish (too much
water before the game), and he even listened as I gave him a
couple of pointers on what he could do to address some of the
problems he felt he had had on the field that day. It was one of
the best times I have ever had talking with him.
Since then, I have let him own his sports more, and he has
even asked me to go out and play catch with him a couple of
times so that he can get ready for baseball season, which is his
true love. The old image of a dad playing catch with his son has
lost none of its nostalgia.
Letting him own his sporting efforts and not taking them
away from him by getting too emotional and telling him how to
play the game has made all the difference in the world.
lu
(lu)
#1