A Little Braggin' on My Boys!

Last night was a first for our family. Our two boys faced each other in a futsal match. Two Haskells on opposite teams. Hardly fair to pit a team of freshmen against a team made up mostly of seniors and a couple of juniors. Part of me didn’t even want to go watch this happen. I’ll admit, I wasn’t giving either of the boys the benefit of the doubt. They are brothers after all. For some reason human nature seems to dictate that, above all else, we must compete and defeat our kin, especially a brother. Add to that a very strong dose of Haskell/Rogers competitiveness and it just sounds like the setting for some very hurt feelings and maybe a little blood.

Our boys proved me wrong, though. Yes, they were very determined and very competitive throughout the match. But mostly they entertained teammates and fans alike! Ethan thoroughly impressed his big brother with his goalie skills. Sure, Justin scored on him a few times, but objectively speaking, anyone in the goal would have been scored upon. Watching them pat each other on the back and even praise one another was refreshing. It made me a proud mama. I was proud of Justin’s willingness to not go for blood against the freshmen and even to encourage and high five them when they made a good play. I was also proud of Ethan as he stepped up and showed leadership on his team and never showed frustration or anger at the sound stomping they received from the seniors – especially when one was his big brother.

After the game Ethan gave me a quick hug and then said he had to catch up with J and his friends. It made me smile to see him tagging along with the big guys, and also to see J and his friends make room for him to join them.

I know it’s kind of a silly little thing. Two boys playing soccer together. Proud parents. Not too exciting or out of the norm. But I think at times we are all a lot like high school boys. Sometimes we are the proven senior given a choice to soundly, and perhaps not so graciously, defeat those not as accomplished as we might be; or the eager freshman, hoping to find acceptance and to prove we are worthy of the task, worthy of being part of the group. I’m glad I caught a glimpse of maturity and grace in my senior last night, and a glimpse of strength and courage in my freshman. In my eyes, both stepped up to the challenge and passed the test with flying colors.