Heart Ache

   This week, all week long my boys are gone. They have gone to Missouri for the National Home School Basketball tournament.
They left on their journey early Monday morning, along with 2 of their friends. They drove for over 12 hours. Only a car of young men would stop mid way to hit a gym on the way.

   Last night I got a text from my 18 year old. Seems the coach is not playing him almost at all.
Which in itself would be terrible, but this is his last year. That's it. He will be too old to play next season.
I have never been a coach, I have never been on a team, so I have to admit not having personal experience with this. I do however know children, and even 18 year olds are children. I will never understand the
off handed way some adults handle children. Like they don't count.

   Hearing my son cry over the phone about a situation that is indeed not fair, ( yes coaches have favorites)
hearing him cry and listen to him as he has a taste of the pain of life... hearing the humiliation, the hurt in my baby's voice,  that, dear reader is heart ache for a parent.

   He just called me to say he is going to quit the team, not play the last game. He said he was going to turn in his uniform and talk to the coach. When he mentioned talking to the coach, I advised him to be very careful about what he would say.. "what do you plan on telling him?"
he said ...."I am going to tell him,' when I am a coach I will remember how you treated me, and I will never make a player feel like you made me feel, I will not favor my own kid on the team and spoil him, I will act like a real father' "

   While I have been thinking of him, and feeling bad for him, at the same time I am so proud of him.
I am watching this child turn into a man.

   Being a parent is just too much. It chokes me up.