All American

I think it's a coming of age thing here in America, well in the south anyways, that if you are a young school age boy, you will at least attempt one season of Little League Baseball.  Not sure who it's more of a coming of age thing for....Chance, or me who is now at the age where I have a son playing it. How'd I get so old so quick?

This season was fantastic.  Chance loved it and grew every game and practice.  I was hesitant at first after hearing stories of Kindergarteners having private batting coaches, but we didn't see a too-competitive side to the sport YET. 

Chance said his favorite position to play was catcher, and you could tell with his focus.  Sometimes in the outfield, anything could be a distraction and you could always hear the coach saying over and over "Chance.....ready position"!

So, all in all it was a great experience, and I am so proud of Chance for stepping up there and trying something new!  Looks like for the winter we'll be back to playing basketball for our second season!

Ladies Man

Yesterday Chance gets off the bus and whispers in my ear, "Guess what I got at school"?  Then hands me a small pink slip of paper with a phone number on it.  A GIRL's nonetheless.  I met this little girl at the park the night before, and Chance introduced her to me saying she was in his class.  He was so excited about having her number, he went home and plugged it in "his" phone.

No, he doesn't really have his own phone, well, okay, yes, maybe he does, but only for emergencies or when he goes to friends houses and I want him to be able to contact me. 

Somehow this seems to be the trend lately, and really it blows me away at how he manages to get chick's numbers seeing that he is increasingly shy these days. 

The other week we went to McDonald's before baseball practice as I was too tired to cook.  Chance was running about with other kids there on the play equipment, one of them being an outgoing girl he had just met.  They are playing for an hour or so, and when it's time to leave I am packing up our stuff, totally unaware, and willfully hand him a pen and paper when he asks.  AS IF.  I should have questioned this act, but there I was again, a deer in the headlights.  I look up, and this little girl, who had apparently been there with her dad on "custody" night, was dictating her name and phone number to Chance as he is eagerly writing it down.  I then come to and wonder, is this really happening?  My six year old is getting the number of a girl?  And the dad was sitting there giving me the evil eye, like "he BETTER NOT call her".  I just nervously snickered and said, "I'm sure he just wants to schedule a playdate, and don't worry, he won't call".  What was I supposed to do?  Not sure what the American customs are here these days with regards to phone calls amongst munchkins who don't need their own cell phones.

So the exchange happens, she is about to leave and the little girls asks, "How old is Chance anyways?"  I say 6 and she hesitates, rethinking what she's just done.  "Well, I am 8 she says" and wonders off, leaving Chance in awe chanting her name over and over as she drives away never to be seen again. 

I need a class in parenting these kids of situations.