John Wooden Quote #4
The person you are is the person your child will become.
That is sooooooo true.
If you don’t know what this post/series is about, see the John Wooden tag and specifically the first quote I posted.
Music Tells Me I’m Getting Old
My son, Sean, just turned 10 and is becoming as big a music fan as I’ve been since about the age of 12. Up until recently, Sean has mainly followed Dad’s musical tastes: He loves U2 and has even been to one of their concerts; he listens to Coldplay; and he’s taken a liking to some of the CDs on my shelf like Snow Patrol and Keane.
All of that is fine from a fatherly perspective because I know the music he’s listening to, and with only a couple exceptions, don’t mind his young ears hearing these lyrics.
For Christmas, he put several CDs on his list from artists that I know nothing, or almost nothing about: Nickelback, The Bravery, and even Blake Lewis (the kid from American Idol).
That’s the first sign I’m getting old: When my kids start listening to bands/artists I don’t know. A week or so ago, Sean asked me if Lupe Fiasco’s real name was Lupe Fiasco or that was a fake name? I had to confess I’d never heard of Lupe Fiasco. The shame.
Then comes the lyrics issue. Do I worry about what these singers are saying in their songs? Of course I do!
That’s the second sign I’m getting old: When I worry about what my kids are hearing in the music they listen to. Should I listen to every song first to make sure it’s acceptable?
After thinking about, I decided to go ahead and buy some of these CDs even though I don’t know the artist and don’t know what they’re singing about. Here’s why:
- It’s not realistic to think I can listen to every song my son wants to listen to before he does, and approve or disapprove it. Who has time for that?
- As he gets older, and as kids grow up faster than they did when I was young, he’s going to be exposed to a lot more in the schoolyard, at his friends’ houses, etc., and I have to accept that’s just part of growing up.
- Most importantly, he’s a Good Kid and I have to trust the job we did as parents and trust him to adjust and mature in an appropriate way as he experiences new things.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m getting old, does it? 
The first hit…
The 0-fer is done. In the 8th game, Sean has his first hit of his first Little League season. He hit the ball solid, past the mound and out to shortstop. This being the lowest level of LL, there were bobbles and drops along the way a bit — but the bottom line is that Hit No. 1 is in the books.
He had done nothing more than foul tip a ball in the first 7 games, so you can imagine his surprise on hitting the ball fair. He stood still at the plate for the splittest of seconds, then went down to 1st base as fast as those legs could take him.
And when he got there safely, every parent in our bleachers was up yelling for him — Great job! Way to go! You did it! And down at first base, I saw him wind his arm back like he was about to throw a fastball, and follow-through with our 1st base coach on the most emphatic high-five I’ve ever seen.
It was just about enough to bring a Dad to tears……..
Little League baseball
Little League baseball joining fee ………………………………… $85.00
Baseball gear and accessories at Gart Sports ……………….. $66.66
Baseball gear and accessories at Big 5 Sports ……………….. $12.42
Watching your son’s first-ever Little League game …… Priceless
Man, that was fun tonight. Sean’s team is maroon and gray, and he wears #4. My first little league was maroon, and I also wore #4. Sean’s team is sponsored by Hall’s Advanced Training Services; mine was sponsored by some funeral home!
Anyway, the kids had a lot of fun. I got to run the pitching machine, and I had a lot of fun. Sean did well in the field, not so well at the plate – but who cares!? It was a great night and there’ll be many more little league games to come over the next few years.
Priceless…….
Mini-me … Mini-she
When you have kids, and while the kids are young, you spend a lot of time wondering what they’ll be like as they get older. And you spend a lot of time hoping that they share what you consider to be your own best traits.
For me, this was especially true with Sean. My first child. My son. Mini-me. I’ve always hoped he’d turn out just like me and have the same personality traits that I like in myself. One of those is that I’m a neat-freak. I like things to be clean — the floors, the carpets, bedrooms, bathrooms … hell, the whole damn house! I like stuff to be clean and neat.
I realized fairly early on that Sean hasn’t (yet) developed my interest in having things neat and clean. He shows no interest in keeping his room clean and organized, for example. Toys are tossed anywhere. Same with shoes, clothes (dirty or clean), and just about everything. Yes, I know he’s only six. But I think I was keeping my room nice and clean by that age.
I’m not at all disappointed that he doesn’t share this trait, only surprised. You assume your son will be just like you. I love, appreciate and respect that he’s his own unique person. I’m just surprised this one thing didn’t get passed down his way.
On the bright side, it appears it may have been passed down to Tara. She loves to help clean up toys. She started helping me load and unload dishes as soon as she learned what a dishwasher was. And lately, she’s been telling Cari in the morning that she needs to take a shower! Funny girl. Sure, her room’s a mess at the moment, but if you asked her to clean it up, she’d do it and she’d like it. At least someone got one of my best traits.
