Children learning from Children

I picked my son up from his baseball practice yesterday. I had sat there and watched his practice for a bit seething inside. My son had gotten the very short end of the stick this baseball season due to little league politics and fathers coaching sons to make sure they make a team. I read a quote on the side of a Starbuck's cup from a woman named Brenda Stonecipher, that sums up what we all go through if we have a child in youth sports. She is a city council member and Starbuck's customer in Everett, Washington. "Give me world politics, gender politics, party politics, or small town politics......I'll take them all over the politics of youth sports."
After Jax's practice we picked up Cade from his practice and headed to Great Clips to get the boys haircuts. While Jax was in the chair, I kept thinking about what my son is going through playing in a league down from all his mates and where he is supposed to be at his level. Jax is a big kid and in sixth grade. He is playing with fourth graders half the size of him, and with considerably less developed skills. Father's all over town have come up to me, saying the same thing, "I can't believe Jax is not playing majors." I had already unleashed my tongue on several members of the board, so I just replied, "Yes, my son got screwed, but we are making the best of it."
I sat there looking at him thinking maybe I should pull him and save him more humiliation. But then I went back to earlier thinking, he has learned life is not fair and is unjust and it is important to keep plugging along and become stronger from the experience.
It was a glorious day here in the Bay Area yesterday. Jax and I sat on a bench outside waiting for Cade to finish with his haircut. Jax said, "Mommy, I don't think I can play on this team. I am embarrassed, I know all the things the coach is teaching all these kids already. I have learned these lessons about baseball three years ago, I am bored and I just don't think I can do it."
I said, "Jax, lets be happy for what you have. You are on a team playing the game you love. Let's take this opportunity to perfect your swing, your pitching skills and your fielding skills. Think of it as practicing for the future." Well, that didn't help. He was down in the dumps. Then I said, "Look at all those beautiful flowers in front of us. Which one is your favorite color out of the five? I know which color flower is my favorite." He said, "I don't like flowers."
Just then a mother and her daughter came walking up to Great Clips. The mother was walking, but the daughter was pushing herself along with a walker. She had a serious disability the prevented her from walking on her own, and quite awkardly with a walker. Her mother was smiling and the daughter said in slurred speech that came from the side of her mouth, "Mom isn't it a perfect day for an ice-cream." Her mother said, "It is a perfect day for an ice-cream!"
I looked at Jax and said, "That little ten year girl can't run, can't catch, can't throw, cannot even talk normally, she can't even walk, but yet my son, she looked at her day and took the good out of it, she rejoiced in a sunny day and some ice-cream. Jax Carter, what you just saw doesn't get any better at showing you life is what you make it! I have told you make lemonade from your lemons!"
He sat there with his face in his hands for two minutes. I figured he was crying for himself. He raised his head, looked at me and said, "The purple flower is my favorite. The blue one is a close second. I know mom your favorite one is the red one!"
I stood up, hugged him, and had tears in my eyes. He then said, "You know what mommy, I have so much and I am always complaining and thinking about what I don't have instead of being grateful for what I do have. I listen to your lessons mom about compassion, empathy and how great life is, you just don't know it. That girl just taught me a lot."
Thank you God for the wonderful lesson my son just learned. We are off to baseball practice.