Back to the Bowling Alley

We had a day off from rehearsals and practices, so we decided to hit the bowling alley in WRJ. We hadn’t been there in quite awhile, especially with all three of us. It was a lot of fun, bowling is not given the appreciation that it is due, especially with children.

The one problem I run into a lot is that N always ends up scoring the lowest, and it bugs him. I know you’re not supposed to coddle and shelter kids, but somehow I don’t find any satisfaction in beating my son. If anything, I hate it, and find myself at times trying to purposefully score lower. The problem is, when you’re not very good at bowling, you can’t control where the ball goes, and I end up hitting more pins than I intended, thus scoring more points. The only way to ensure that I’ll score less is by hitting gutter ball after gutter ball, which is actually pretty easy to do. My kids think it’s kind of funny, but in a testament to their empathy, are supportive and always offer me kind words. How cool is that?

One day N will grow up and compete with the big boys, and I know he’ll do well. We really try to teach him that it’s not about winning all the time because someone will always beat you, but it’s kind of hard to really grasp this idea in the world we live in. Besides, competition is so inherent in so much of what we do.

For now, I’ll just keep hitting gutter balls. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Bill Silvermintz for the pic.