my son loves to play hockey, even though he is a teen, this is something new for him. he has never played in a league before so he has been having to learn everything that most of the other kids have been comfortable doing since they were little tykes. there have been times that when i watch him, i feel uncomfortable for him, he is not as fast or as skilled as most of the other players on his team, i've seen some of the coaches take him aside and work on basic drills with him and inside, i've cringed, worried that he would feel singled out, that he wasn't good enough that he would feel overly self-conscious, i worried in my head about how he was feeling, projecting my own insecurities. one day on the way home after one practice when he and another boy were separated from the rest of the team to work on some skating drills, i wondered and worried how he felt about this, he said to me "a couple of the other coaches took me and A aside and helped us with our backwards skating and pivoting. that was really nice of them." immediately i felt at ease and i mentally scolded myself for projecting my own worries and insecurities on him. each day my son goes outside and practices his shots, works on his technique and handling his stick and puck, shooting at the net in the backyard. his stick is worn, the tape is peeling off and he wears down the blade of his stick from shooting so much on concrete. he doesn't care that he might not be "as good" as someone else on his team, he just gets to work every day and tries to be the best HE can be. i am trying to incorporate that attitude in my life. my son is so wise.
