get closer to my kids

Well maybe it helps as they are growing up but its better. I think it is hard that transition from teenage to adult. They have trouble sitting with you and other adults and feel they can add to the conversation. At least at times they are beginning to sit in now. :)

My eleven year old started football, for the first time, a few weeks ago and it dawned on me that he’s actually growing up. I watched this child who wants to be a star like his father play with such determination and it made me proud. He caught the most beautiful passes and he took the hits without a care.

He also started band. He really wanted to play drums but he ended up with the trombone. But he’s proud of it and he said it is easier to put together than the other instruments. We have a new school year with a lot of firsts and it just makes me proud to be a mother.

My oldest son is pretty athletic to be 10 years old. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of watching him compete in their elementary school track meet. His favorite race is the 100m. But for the first time ever he competed in the high jump. Let me tell you, this little boy had even the junior high school kids watching him and cheering him on. He even hurdled the bar in a few of his jumps (one of my husband’s athletes calls him Spider Man now). He placed second because one of his best buds beat him out on the last jump.

My youngest one who I didn’t think was very competative had his buddies calling him things like “The Man” and “The Game”. He placed third in the same event.

As I watched them, I envisioned the next few years of watching them play sports and it made me proud. My oldest starts junior high this next school year (sixth grade is junior high here) and I’m excited but I also wish he wasn’t growing up so fast.

I have two boys. They will be 10 and 11 in a couple of months. When they were smaller, I worked a lot and was trying to go to college at the same time. I missed a lot of the little things. Yeah, I made it to the school programs, the PTA meetings, but I missed a lot of the things that just wouldn’t seem important to anyone else. Like my oldest slam dunking the basketball on his Fisher Price basketball goal; watching my youngest son figure out that he could finally read the nutritional information on the back of that Snickers bar I didn’t need.

Those are the important memories that I want; and for the past year that is exactly what I have been trying to do. It is so worth it.