The hardest thing to accept as a parent is that your kid is not good at something they’ve worked really hard to be good at. I’m dealing with that with two of these boys and with the reality that the ability to be ‘good’ is either entirely within their means or it isn’t.
I am talking about football. All three play, but the eldest is injured and not returning to sports until next year–his senior season. The freshman is only 13 and is playing with older kids as he has his entire life. The problem is they are all hitting the 14/15 growth spurt and he, while nicely sized for 13, is small for 14/15 as most freshman are. This has led to him working so hard that he developed Pes Anserine bursitis and is aggravating the situation by trying to keep up while injured. The result is that he isn’t playing in the season opener and needs significant time off for recovery.
The little guy isn’t so little but is lacking an aggressive running style that the RB coach and Head coach for the team so desire. As a result he is playing less and less and he is also playing timid and confused about not being used the way he wants. He has it in his power to be better. He just needs to reach down deep and get there. I’ll do what I can to help him develop those mental skills he needs to get to the next level.
Meanwhile, I am a personal mess. I am suffering from allergies and dehydration and need to do a better job of taking care of myself, because right now the only one taking care of me is my partner and I am supposed to be taking care of her as her partner.