Not Only Seeing YKW, but Playing Tennis w/Her

This is crazy, but a good example of getting over my hang-ups and trying to see the bigger picture. We were spending a quiet day at home, taking care of business and getting things done. The kids were just hanging out and entertaining themselves when at some point in the afternoon, N stated that he wanted to play tennis, and A wanted to have girl time with mom. Fair enough, we'd find a way to make it happen.

Well, as some point, who should show up but none other than YKW. She and her pop showed up on their bikes. Apparently they had tried calling and we hadn't answered our phone, mainly because we were outside working. Of course, the kids went crazy, and they made a plan. We'd meet up after dinner for tennis at the rec. How do these things happen?

Now I wasn't so keen on the whole excursion for various and assorted reasons, but we had made plans to play tennis, so there was no turning back. What are you going to do? It also turns out that YKW's bro is playing on the tennis team, so serious play was in order.

We ate dinner in somber silence, not sure what to make of our situation, but it turned out not so bad, as usual. Of course, R bailed out on me and said she couldn't play because she had to clean up. True, there was the mess to attend to, but she was clearly leaving me hanging, having to deal with the whole soap opera that has come to be known as The World According To YKW. I wasn't appreciative of it all, but what are you going to do.

We drove over to the courts and they were already playing. We hit the court, and it ended up being fun, and as usual, it was convivial and even fun. YKW's bro is pretty good, though he's just a kid, he's got time. And in the end, all the kids had fun. So it taught me a lesson, one that I'd been toying with in the back of mind. I know that YKW is not the most tactful person, and has hurt A on a number of occasions and will continue to do so, but for the most part, A is an incredibly forgiving (naive, perhaps?) person and doesn't hold a grudge. She forgives YKW for all past transgressions, and she is always so happy to see her.

With this in mind, I have to get over my hang ups. I don't like to see A get treated poorly, but on some level, she has to come to terms with these situations on her own, and the truth is, she's happy when they meet. Maybe that's all that matters. That is, of course, until the next time YKW completely blows her off, which I guarantee you, will happen soon enough, but such is the life of a child. Always being treated meanly by some other kid.

One final note, I got the sense that YKW's brother sort of took advantage of me, and I could have and probably should have said something, but didn't. We came to the courts with our own set of tennis balls, all of which were in decent condition. Brother YKW had his own set, some of which were in terrible condition. At the end of the game, we were trying to decide which balls belonged to whom, and I just said take the number you came with. He collected seven balls, and I looked at what was left over, and clearly he had taken the best balls, leaving me with the crappy ones. What a scam. I almost said something, but is it worth making a fuss? Our balls weren't great, but they weren't as bad as the one's he left. Clearly he knew which were his, and took the nicer ones, no doubt about it.

Oh well, my fault for not speaking up, right? I don't think so... Unfortunately this only means that I'll have to take it out on him the next time we meet on the court. It'll be a good life lesson.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to sanja gjenero for the pic.