DANDELIONS IN THE OUTFIELD

It’s that time again. Yep, my son Jeremiah’s first t-ball game. I know I should be more excited. I signed him up for t-ball, hoping he could relate with other young boys his age. With the hopes of the boyish like mannerisms would rub off on him. Seemingly he is rubbing off on a few of his teammates. I even have a close rapport with his Coach Danny Phelps. Somehow that only led to this shocking surprise, at least for me anyway.

His first game and he has two different shoes on. I know – I know, I should have checked him out before we left home. I missed the memo, I just knew this whole t-ball experience would be easy. After all its not rocket science. That’s what I get for not looking him over head to toe, before we walked out the door. Then Jeremiah, wouldn’t be in the outfield with two different shoes on. Don’t get me wrong at least one of his shoes were cleats. The shoe was – well let’s just say it definitely wasn’t the same shoe. The colors were the same navyish, but not even close to being a match.

As his Mom I held my head high. I kept clapping as he applauded himself each time, he lifted up a bouquet of flowers”. He had the audacity – my son that is, to say out loud, “look Momma, look what I got”. I dare not shrug my head in my shoulders. I just knew my son was so proud of himself. Somehow he was actually having fun. There was a brief moment, I wondered where is he getting all of these behaviors from. I later was reminded by me binging on the home and garden network. I’m sure it staying on the channel around the clock, didn’t help my sons future baseball career. That’s how it works right? From t-ball, then to the next stage is baseball. At least I think that’s how it goes. My plan to instill more boyish characteristics, failed miserably. I flopped because all he’s doing in the outfield is picking dandelions. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s showing the other kids in the outfield the beautiful flowers he’s picked for his, beautiful Mom.

One father keeps looking at me, or at least it seems he’s gawking. I’m embarrassed but I keep holding my head up high. I don’t want Jeremiah to feel like I’m ashamed of him. The father starts yelling whose kid is that? The coach needs to sit him down, he’s distracting all the kids in the outfield. The other kids are picking flowers too! Now, all the parents are looking at me. Like I’m a hot mess, for ruining their kid’s first game. These parents that are staring at me. Well at least it feels they are staring. To the point where they are staring holes in my shirt. Oh no my bad, maybe my shirt had at least one hole - possibly two holes.

To be honest by the third game, I didn’t have a reprieve as my son was still picking dandelions in the outfield. Their first game, there were five of his teammates picking the weeds. For sure, by the third game Jeremiah, was still picking the dandelions, along with three other teammates. I stop calling them flowers after one parent said, “those aren’t flowers those are weeds”. Evidently the parents were serious about their t-ball or maybe more so serious about the prospect of their child going to the big leagues, straight from t-ball. As the game was coming to a close. Somehow the team pulled off a win. I don’t know how that happened as they didn’t have full participation, in the outfield. This was their fourth game (Toronto Tigers vs Salt-water Alligators ). It’s strange the coach never picked Jeremiah, to have a turn at bat. I didn’t report him or even go up to him after the game, asking why haven’t you given my son a chance to hit the ball? At the end of their game all the kids stood up saying yeah, we won. While Jeremiah stood raising up his bouquet of weeds, chanting I won – I won – I won. All the parents looked at me as if to say, heavens to Betsy why doesn’t he know it should have been about winning the game and not the bouquet of weeds. I just smiled and held up my sons weeds in solidarity. The wind for me, he won at something.

After the game Coach Phelps, came up to me with a smile on his face asking, “would you go to dinner with me”? I said, “like a date”? He said, “yeah”. Where would you like to go, I asked? He said, “I don’t know to get some hamburgers” that way our boys could spend sometime together. I said, “sure that sounds like a plan”. So, in a way this was like a grand-slam; the team won their first game, Jeremiah had his bouquet of weeds, Coach Phelps and I going on our 1st date, and our boys Isaiah and Jeremiah, will get to spend some quality time together. I guess what they say is true, be on your p’s and q’s because you never know whose watching you.