2/21/2010 Benched

It was a rainy day, I wasn't feeling well, and Dave had to work. What a perfect day to take all three kids shopping. yay. I'm quite certain I have the worst-behaved little boys in Silicon Valley, who just can't keep themselves from pushing, grabbing, running, tripping and fighting with each other for 5 minutes.

Still, I made a fast decision. We were there to look for a park bench, and this discounted floor model, already assembled and finished, is an inoffensive no-brainer.


Later I took Julian with me to a parent meeting for the T-ballers, which turned out to be to discuss volunteering. Listening to the descriptions of the help needed, I was trying to drum up enthusiasm for being "team parent" or somesuch, until he described assistant coaches. They don't run the team, but they facilitate the games, help with practices, keep kids moving along ("you're next!"). Now that sounds like fun.

But it's crazy to commit to that now. We're still adjusting to my full-time job status. Worst, what would I do with Katrina during the week? It's one thing for her to hang around the game if I can pay attention to her, but not if I'm there to help the coach who's running the game keep the players focused and moving. Not to mention having absolutely no experience with organized sports. Weekends, I think my curiosity and the fun appeal would overcome inexperience, but the logistics of weekdays is tricky.

Meantime, I want to sign Katrina up for morning soccer, and somehow sign Gabriel up for -- get this -- hockey! He says he wants to try hockey. Soccer too, but I'm not sure we can absorb another volunteer-only league. Throw money at the problem and sign him up for a class, I think.

I look back at my time with them as much younger toddlers, when Gabriel was 3 and Julian was 1, and how essential my being with them seemed. Logically I knew it wasn't, but it was hard to tear away, especially despite -- or perhaps because of -- the trouble we had with Gabriel. Oh, how naive I was. The tug to be with them now is much much stronger. I never would have guessed that then. I feel like we're entering the best time of our lives together, some of the most fun I'll ever have in my life. Playing hockey or baseball with them blows away Gymboree and park days -- though I did love Music Together, swimming, and making mom friends. It's hard to know in the beginning what type of mom you'll be, but getting my feet wet with T-ball confirms that I should have gotten my last work kinks out before, when they were young, and didn't really need me as much then even though it felt so much like they did.

We've been having fun watching the Winter Olympics too. The downhill skiing is the most popular, getting Gabriel psyched to try it himself. He thinks the Olympic skiers are going slowly?! JUST WAIT. I showed him the videos of some Las Madres friends -- younger girls -- skiing, and he was fascinated and very excited. I couldn't explain why they don't use poles yet (though I remember skiing pole-less as a little kid too), but we'll find out ourselves in a few weeks.

Babies and toddlers are really amazing, but little kids that you can play ball with and ski with and ice-skate with and play soccer with and hike and climb rocks with, and who go to the bathroom by themselves....that's the best.

2/21/2010