Moment in the Sun

Just wanted to mention that N had a golden moment at the rink the other day. This is relevant because it's usually A who is in the spotlight. Though N never complains or expresses envy or jealousy (at least not outright), somehow A manages to capture center stage more often. N is more subdued and coy, though he is definitely more athletic, and his skills really shine in that arena. Case in point, ice skating. From the get go we'd noticed that he was a natural on skates. It's really cool to watch, and if we were the typical suburban set of parents, we'd get that boy into hockey gear immediately. I tell you right now, he'd do well, because we have sticks and pucks, and you should see him go.

Either way, we're not so keen on the competitive sports front, and hockey is particularly grueling, so much so that it can't figure out a parent's motivation to subject their kids to it, but what do I know? Not much.

We were at the local rink and the kids, the boys in particular, took notice of N's skating prowess. They gathered around him in awe, and it was nice to see. To her credit, A was there to witness it and she was extremely supportive and kind to him. Kudos to her. N basked in the glow, and the boys expressed outright amazement at the fact that a kid who was younger than them, in some instances by a whopping 6 months, could actually skate so much better than them. It was funny because he was initially bashful when they asked to see him skate, but he eventually warmed up to the idea and before we knew it, he was like Eric Heiden. Some of you may be too young to remember him.

Not that I'm so hung up on impressing people, but when you're a guy, you have to earn some credibility amongst the other guys, and some degree of athletic competence will accomplish this. Otherwise, boys can be mean, especially to each other. And as all guys know, it ain't easy being a real man, even when you're just a kid.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Patti Gray for the pic.