Weather Boy and I faced a rough parenting decision tonight. Boy had a baseball game, and WB was asked to ump. At the very end of the first inning, we saw lightening, and so the game went to a 30 minute delay. The coaches, however, started the game up after about 15. We decided it wasn't proper to be playing, and so we removed ourselves from the game. Boy took it very well-- talk about a kid having maturity way beyond his years- not even one "but please, why can't I just play"-- but I still feel a bit sickish to my stomach that our actions affected him possibly negatively. The coach called us a little bit ago, and we're all good, but still... these events are not in the parenting manual.
I do feel proud that we stood firm on our beliefs on safety, and I'm hoping that both kids will translate this lesson on doing the right thing even when it's hard to their own lives. Its rough on the playground these days, and the bystanders are the ones who make the difference. We talk a lot to kids-- I do it every day at work-- about standing firm in our beliefs and not being afraid of what someone else thinks. Peer pressure is real and standing up to it is incredibly difficult. As hard as it was to actually pull him from the game, I'm glad we had the courage to do what we thought was right, even when no one else agreed.
3 comments:
I'm proud of you. Parenting is not always easy or fun--most of the time it is but you know that. There's an old country song that says 'You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything." Good job, Mom and Dad.
My girls had their annual dance recital last weekend. Three of the girls at the recital were sick. Between numbers, they'd be back stage vomiting into buckets. Mind you, these were KIDS - eight, nine, ten years old. Certainly, they've put MONTHS of rehearsal into this performance, but ....
I keep asking myself, what I would have done it if had been my ten year old. I would hope that I would have hauled her green-faced butt home and put her in bed, because that's what should have been done, but I know that wouldn't have been a popular response.
I keep hearing the kids' parents and the dance school instructors talking about what "troupers" the girls were for continuing with the show, despite the fact that they were puking very few minutes, and I cringe.
I think what you did was right and responsible, and I commend you. I mean, sports (and dance) are one thing, but the children's welfare really should be the most important thing, I think.
In my case, it would have been sad if those three girls had to miss the recital, because they were in a lot of the numbers, but at the same time, I don't think it would have ruined the show, if they'd been allowed to stay home and recuperate.
I guess I'm not a very good "stage" mom, huh?
It is definitely not easy, this parenting thing. I can't see myself having taken the kids to our recital puking in buckets-- and I'm the stage manager and a dancer too, so we really are a significant part of the show, but hopefully I'll never have to test it out. I think a huge part of our problems as a society is we truly think we can always do it all, have it all, be it all... and have forgotten that sometimes life gives you hard choices that you have to make.
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