Basketball

Warner started basketball at the Y last week. I have been so excited for the season to begin because Warner has been so enthusiastic about it. He has insisted basketball is his favorite sport for quite a while now. I'm not sure why this is the case, since until Christmas his only personal experience with the sport included his plastic Little Tikes hoop in the basement. Regardless, he loves it and couldn't wait for his first practice.

So you can imagine my disappointment when he was in tears halfway through his first practice, telling me he didn't want to play the sport after all. The whole first practice was awkward and chaotic - two coaches with four and five year-old boys in a noisy gym. They were practicing dribbling up and down the court individually and Warner was clearly not doing well. One of the coaches spent extra time trying to help Warner, and as I watched from the bleachers, I could tell he was getting upset. He tried so hard to keep it together but he was embarrassed and disappointed and probably a million other emotions. So, the tears came.

After a short pep talk including "you made a commitment to play and need to see it to the end" and "we just need to spend some time practicing", Warner finished practice in better spirits. Thankfully the weather cooperated this weekend and Kevin was able to spend quite a bit of time outside with Warner practicing dribbling and shooting. And let's not forget: he's five  years old. He's playing basketball on a Church team at the Y. This shouldn't be competitive or emotionally scarring, right?

God probably chuckles at some of my prayers, but admittedly I spent some time this weekend praying for my sweet son, his confidence, his dribbling skills, and the entire basketball experience. Thankfully last night's first game was a huge success.

To call the event last night a basketball "game" would be a stretch. One kid passes the ball to another kid (they're instructed which kid to pass to, by the way) and he dribbles the ball down the court to the best of his ability. Meanwhile all the other kids run as fast as they can to the other side of the court and stop beneath the hoop. The kid who dribbled the ball down court then passes it to another teammate (again, he's told beforehand who to pass it to), and that child then has a chance to shoot the ball. Defense doesn't really exist, although the kids are told who to guard. Warner just chatted with the kid he was supposed to be guarding. Once a shot has been attempted, the other team gets a turn and it starts all over again.

Warner made two baskets last night and couldn't have been more thrilled. He dribbled down court very well when it was his turn, and he generally enjoyed himself. Thank God for answered prayers. After his game we allowed him to choose where we'd go out for dinner. Of ALL the dining choices he had, he chose McDonalds. Ugh. But seeing him so happy was certainly worth it.