Will there ever come a time when I don’t worry about my kids? Try to smooth out the rough patches and clear a path forward? Is my heart so in-tune to their needs that the day will come when it’s not beating for them?
For the first time ever, Spiderman is the Captain of his hockey team and with that, comes challenges.
The “C” on his jersey is a target.
While under normal circumstances I’m squeamish with each hit, slash and punch…it’s exacerbated this year with the “C” on his chest. He’s crushed more, hit more, slammed and slashed more…pushed around and dropped to the ice more than ever before.
Opposing teams celebrate when the captain goes down.
Ummmm…hello? Excuse me? You out there clapping and cheering, banging your fists and whacking the side of the bench…you jumping to your feet in jubilation and you telling your players to “double up on the C”… you celebrating that hit, that trip, that crush on the boards…that’s my boy out there.
He’s physical…gives back as good as he gets. Wears the C well. He’s solid on the ice but it doesn’t help this momma in the stands.
The “C” on his jersey builds character but it’s not all fun and games. His job is to invoke some passionate discussion with the players, motivate them, lift their spirits, call them out on a play gone wrong and encourage them when it goes just right. He’s held to a higher standard and he’s done well. But he’s learning.
He’s still a kid.
When his shoulders are slumped, when a game is lost, when he’s taken a beating and given it back…he wears it like that C on his jersey. He feels it.
And I feel it for him.
Every win. Every loss. Every disappointment. Every hit. Every bump. Each crushing blow both physically and mentally…each and every reward…it changes him.
It makes him a better teammate. A better leader. A better person.
I’m proud of that C on his chest but I had no idea what it stood for until this year.
I had no idea what he stood for until this year!
He’s clearing his own path for his future. Developing in ways I never dreamt. He’s leading on the ice, but more importantly…off the ice as well.
That kid you’re celebrating? The one who’s giving it all…everything he’s got? The one who lives and breathes this game not just for the thrill of the play but for everything else it offers. Who’s learning from his teammates and coaches the most valuable lessons in life. Who’s enthusiastic, confident, calm under pressure and focused on the game. Who’s committed to his friends…his teammates. That kid who’s fair yet assertive. Who does it all with a sense of humour and pure love of the game.
With a smile on his face after taking a hit…looking up to let me know that he’s just fine. That I can breathe again.
That’s my boy out there.
It becomes harder each year for me to watch! I am so proud of the men our boys are becoming, but wish a little in my heart that we could still allow them to be little boys just a few moments longer.
Thank you for expressing how most hockey moms feel watching the game.