March 6

Parenting is hard. There are a lot of things I could say about today --I could talk about the awesome time I had at tea with an old friend this morning and about how one of my brothers totally surprised me with an unexpected little gift this afternoon-- but that's the one observation that stands out to me the most: parenting is hard. But it's also an opportunity of immense worth.

After waiting practically forever, this guy had his first baseball game of the season tonight.

It was a really competitive game and it felt like the two teams were quite well-matched in terms of ability. (And believe me, that's most definitely not always the case.) Isaac made some defensive plays, singled, walked, stole two bases, and scored his team's first run of the season. It was easy to parent as I sat there on the bleachers, feeling that sense of pride that grows and spreads as you watch your child succeed and gain confidence.

His team was leading by a run when the bottom of the final inning began, and Isaac found himself pitching. He got the first few outs quickly, and thrived as his coaches encouraged him from the dugout. But then the wheels kind of fell off the bus. There were a few walks, and a defensive miscue behind him in the infield. And then, as can so heartbreakingly happen in baseball, the next batter absolutely tagged a pitch into the outfield, and just like that, the game was over. I watched his face crumple as he walked toward the dugout. I watched the tears as they trickled down his cheeks. And that sense of pride I'd felt became... pain. His coach put an arm around him and they had a little pow wow before the post-game huddle, but me? I wanted to scream, because the whole time he was pitching, I was thinking 'come on, God. This kid needs a confidence booster. He needs to pull this out. He's been through so much and has overcome so much and he just needs this.' But, as it turns out, it wasn't meant to be this time. And, of course, he didn't actually need it. What he needed were parents who pointed out his single and his walk and his stolen bases and his run and his defensive plays, and that there will be more games played this season. And that no matter what, one person most definitely does not win or lose a game on his own. This game featured a wide variety of plays --some great, some miscues-- and Isaac had more good ones than not-so-good. He needed us to tell him that he needn't bear the entire weight of losing on his own shoulders and that you win as a team and lose as a team. So that's what we did. And by the time he headed off to bed, he seemed to be feeling better.

So yeah, parenting is hard. But the ability to make someone feel better with a hug and a few encouraging words is absolutely worth every second of frustration.