Random Conversation

Oh, the pain! Oh, the agony! It’s that time of year again.

“What time of year?” you may ask.

Well, I’ll be more than happy to tell you. It’s time for sports! That’s what it is!

Which sport?

Does it really matter? Pick one! They run year round; running seamlessly from one to another. They even sometimes overlap in the most annoying manner. As far as I can tell, it’s impossible for a single parent to get one child to football practice, another to wrestling practice, and then manage to coincide pickup times without causing problems. It just doesn’t happen.

Why, then, do you have them in sports?

Oh, my gosh! What else would you suggest I do with three very active boys? To keep them out of trouble, not to mention run off some of that high-strung energy, they have to be in sports. It’s either that or they’ll get into all sorts of trouble that isn’t even worth thinking about. No, the hectic sports schedules are much better than the alternatives!

Did you say three boys?

Yes, I did. All I ever wanted was one little girl. Just one. Was that too much to ask? However, I’d probably have no clue how to raise a girl. Even when I was younger, I mainly hung out with boys. Yes, boys are probably better. Though technically, my husband and I have four boys altogether. One is my step-son, but he lives with his mother. In a way, I’m thankful. There’s no way I could handle four boys in sports!

I thought you said a ‘single’ parent earlier.

Oh, I did. Right now, that’s pretty much what I am. My husband is in the Army and is overseas. Now before you go off asking where he’s at overseas, all I can say is, “It’s classified.” He managed to land one of those super secret positions in the Army. Even his address hides where he is. I actually find that amusing. However, it allows me to always pretend that he’s safe and sound, and I don’t worry about him too much.

I’m sorry that he’s away right now.

Well, so am I. I miss him for many reasons, but it would sure help to have him around now that the boys are in sports. He’s the sports fanatic in our family. He’s the reason why the boys are in all these sports. Mind you, he was right. It’s good for them and it’s good for me. It also really helps to pass the time while he’s away. It’s hard to worry about him all the time when I have to worry about three practices a week with a game or dual on the weekends. There’s really not much downtime in there. On days that there isn’t anything going on, I just like the chance to take a deep breath and know we’re not going anywhere that evening.

Dual? What’s that?

Oh. Well. I have two boys in wrestling. Their ‘games’ are called duals or tournaments. Tournaments are when they compete for awards and trophies. Duals are just general get-togethers of several teams in an area and they all wrestle each other. Sure there are wins and losses, but no one is really keeping score.

I’m just curious. How old are your boys?

Well, my step-son is 13. Then the three that live here full time are 9, 5, and 3. Though all of them have their birthdays within the next three months. This is a very hectic time of year for us.

Wow! I can see that! What sports do your boys participate in?

Well, they are in three of them. I don’t even want to think of adding any others, even if we had the time. There is baseball, football, and wrestling. They all wrap nicely around the calendar for us. We’ll actually pull out of wrestling before it’s fully finished to go back to baseball. If it had been my choice, the boys would have been in basketball instead. However, it’s a family tradition on my husband’s side to wrestle. They like it well enough. It’s just that I’m completely clueless and can’t help them in anyway. I find it frustrating. That and the wrestling rooms really stink! Have you ever been in a room with 30 or more little boys sweating? I’d really hate to think what a high school wrestling room smells like!

I can only imagine! Wait, where are you going?

Oh, tonight’s wrestling. Didn’t I tell you? I have to get everyone out the door. See you later!