Atta boy

Good morning. We are waiting for another blast from Mother Nature. I think that Mother N is menopausal, hence the unpredictability of our weather. And rather than having hot flashes, she is having cold flashes. Quick, someone get her some Primrose oil. Stat!

How was the kid's birthday? Let's say that it was 'disappointing'. He did not pitch in the double header loss in NC yesterday and was mildly displeased. It hurts sitting on the bench with a good team. It is extremely painful  to watch when you are on a not so good team. Although, today they play one more game. This time, Blue Devil will be in the stands taking my place as she waits and waits...and waits some more for an appearance. Something tells me that he will play today...maybe a little cold birdie.



As we chatted on the phone for our obligatory post game conversation, he was salty as he started to talk about Psycho again. Apparently Psycho does not just focus on him, he tears into anyone who is in his way. For example, in a bullpen session this week, the catcher uttered the phrase "atta boy' which is consistent with pitchers and catchers. Well, he said 'atta boy' when the pitch was not an 'atta boy' pitch.



Then Psycho wound up and POW! He let the poor catcher have it with both barrels. The freshman was defenseless against the tirade. The coach started with....



"what are you saying that for?"


"Was that a good pitch?'


"What does the pitcher think?"


"Why are you congratulating the pitcher with a ball that could have been hit over the fence?"

Then he went ballistic...."YOU ARE NOT DOING HIM ANY FAVORS FOR CONGRATULATING HIM ON A $##^*& PITCH! YOU ARE A $#&))^$^&))"..........



The poor kid stood there 10 minutes until the tirade was over. The big leftie could do nothing but stare at the pitiful scene.

And so, my friends....what am I doing as a parent as I allow these stories to be part of a book rather than acting upon them? Am I doing the right thing for not reporting them to the correct person? Do I have to stay out of it so that my son is not punished? What do I do from an ethical perspective? Am I a coward? Or, is this the way that it is on a number of levels?

I don't remember any coach yelling, belittling, and mocking me....except one salty tennis coach who threw his racquet (not at me but at the ground)...I especially do not recall anyone using profanity (OK, just that one coach...but he is a different story) to send a message to me that I need his permission to even breathe. What am I doing? Why am I letting this happen? Is this normal? Are these players going to be traumatized for the rest of their lives from this experience?

Ahhh. I honestly don't know what I should do. I am supposed to be taking care of the vulnerable and these kids (and yes, even though they do not shave to look older, they are still kids in my book) are powerless to do anything to help themselves and are afraid to make a mistake, cross their eyes, talk, eat a donut, or order french fries at a McDonalds.



Do I let it continue? Or, am I going to be perceived as a butt-inski helicopter parent...which I am definitely not. I do have a strong sense of right and wrong and this is most assuredly wrong.


Last night as we continued the conversation, he said to me. "Mom, don't be surprised if Psycho is arrested for hurting or killing someone. He is certifiably crazy."

Well, at least I know that my kid is not the only one who is on his hit list. There are other kids such as the poor freshman catcher who are in his line of fire.

I have a lot of thinking to do about this one. Dad will say: "Stay out of it." The big leftie will say: "Stay out of it." But can I? Do I? What of someone is hurt and I did not do anything? How can I live with myself knowing that I could have prevented it? Am I making too much out of this?



OK, so, I will think....

We stayed on the phone until 8:49 pm which is the time when he was born and I wished him happy birthday again. He has been such a wonderful son as his sister has been a wonderful daughter. The four of us are our own team with lots of extensions from our beloved family and friends to the neighbors and co workers. We are truly blessed. Last year for his 21st, I wrote a long letter telling him how proud I was of him. There are things that you want to say but don't for fear of rejection or embarrassment, so I put them in a letter. In return, he left a letter for me when he left for school in January.

I don't know what the future holds, but the present has been just that...a gift. We have been blessed to have had each other over the years. I am now getting mushy, so I will stop. But let me end with one more thought....God puts people into our lives for a reason. Some I would like to ship back...but on the whole, looking back and forward, each day has been special as we interact with and support one another. If I was to stop breathing tonight, I would die a happy person (and miss the Oscars)......Also, if I do succumb, it will probably be due to Skittle toxicity, since I still have the bags full of those stupid colorful round sugar bombs in my system. I doubt if any death certificate ever had 'skittle toxicity' as a cause of death. But CSI would figure it out with their state of the art lab and incredibly smart staff. Let them have a go at figuring this one out. By the way, I am Skittled-out. In other words...no more Skittles...ever....never again.....toss the rest of the bag....keep it away from me. Blech.



Off to Zumba....Peace!