Yeah, so what if he’s only 20 months old?!
Okay, so here’s the thing. I’ve been telling you that Mister Baby Boy has an affinity for balls. (Not just his own…toy ones too. And what is WITH that anyway?!) His obsession with balls started when he was about 9 months old. By the time he was walking at 12 months, he could bounce and catch them, and was rolling two balls at a time up his legs, so he could palm them both and bounce them at the same time. We bought him a little toddler basketball hoop for the deck, and he makes shots from four to five feet away. No foolin’. We’ve known he’s a bit advanced in the basketball department for his age, but he can’t really talk yet so we figure it’s all a wash…We joke, “Yeah, he can’t talk, but he can dribble a basketball! That has to count for something!”
So, last night we’re at the YMCA for Little Girl’s gymnastics class. Mister is obsessive as usual and spends his time attempting to sneak into the Big Kid play room where there’s exercise equipment and you guessed it…BALLS! This time there’s a different supervisor in there, and he says, “Here…you want a ball Little Man? I’ll get you a ball!” And proceeds to watch my son in awe as he bounces and catches the ball like it’s second nature (which it is) and begins dribbling one handed. Turns out he’s the basketball coach and program director. He goes on to tell me that he runs a basketball for tykes class for 3 and 4 year olds, but that Mister’s skills are stronger than any of his four year olds. “Holy cow! He catches it every time! And I’ve never seen a kid that small dribble one handed! They always dribble two handed at first.” He then tells me he wants him signed up for the class next session, and that he’ll waive the age limit for him.
So here’s the thing…advice needed here cyberfriends. HE’S A BABY!!!! He won’t be two until February, and the next session starts in January. Do I sign him up and let him play with the big 3 and 4 year olds? Will he get tromped on? He’s getting to be a very good boy now that he understands more, but I don’t think he’ll be able to follow the coach’s directions…(although the coach wasn’t concerned about that. “My four year olds don’t listen to directions either,” he said.) I know he has a talent, but should we really be tapping into it this soon? I don’t want to squash the interest with a “formal” class this soon…but then again, he might have a BLAST! *sigh*
He’s so damn little and cute with that big ol’ basketball. What should we do?
A Half Hour a Day 
Wow!!! What an amazing, talented little man you have there!
Do you think the coach would let you bring him a couple of times before you actually sign him up, just to see how things are going? 2 is awfully little to be playing sports with kids that are going to be twice his age, but you never know, maybe he will do well?
Good luck, whatver you decide!
(When in Feb. is his b-day? Mine’s on the 18th)
I say put him in the class. But before you do teach him how to throw the ball as hard as he can into a 4 year olds groin and teach him how to say.’There, nows you my bitch’ he will be fine if anything he will be puzzled why the others are such simpletons as he wales another one of them in the groin with the ball. THERE NOWS YOU MY BITCH
Daily…that’s a really good idea! I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe I could even observe this session. Hmmm…thanks for that idea! (His birthday is the 12th…we came home with him on Valentine’s Day. 🙂 )
Nice, Zan…how is it that I manage to share parenting with you, and survive the experience??? 😉
I’m with Zan. Put him in but prepare him well. 😉
Seriously, if he were 4 and they were 7, I’d say you might have a problem but 4 year olds are as much babies when it comes to B-ball as nearly 2 year olds. If he loves balls, he’ll have a blast running around, dribbling, catching and throwing them. It’s not like they’ll be teaching them a 3-2 defense or anything. At that age (4), it’s really just structured play time.
KD — put the boy in basketball. He has TWO sisters…he needs some male playtime….it’s a testosterone thing.
MM you are DAMN STRAIGHT. We live in a wonderful country where men should be men and girls should be girls and some men should be girly and some girls should be manly. When you cut Baby Boy he bleeds snips and snails and puppy dog tails. He is more MALE than I am and I am proud of that I can help him curb the urge to hit everything when you are angry. I got over it in college after I punched a paper towel dispenser in the mans room off a concrete wall and sliced open my hand. So some of these lessons I will be there to help him with. It is HARD for KD becuase as she said BEFORE Baby Boy was born. “I feel more responsible than with the girls to raise a GOOD MAN, one that will be a good husband and father.” F#$& THAT. HE cannot be a GOOD man until he is first a MAN. And Men come from Boys…. and REAL MEN come from REAL BOYS. Therefore it my God-given duty to help shape my tiny ball bouncing wonder into a real boy… Even if I have to sacrifice my marriage.
He’ll learn some of that “good man” stuff on the court. Get him out there doing some suicides and push-ups. By six, we’ll have him dunking.
Seriously, good men learn to be good from the discipline and consistency of their fathers and the love their fathers show their mothers. So….I think you know what that means.
Yes a FIRM hand with the wife but NO beating. Keep telling yourself that.. No Beating No Beating. No Beating….
Why is marriage so damn HAAARD.
MARRIAGE IS HARD FOR SOME PEOPLE.
MARRIAGE IS HARD FOR ALL PEOPLE.
Why not give it a try? If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t. He plays with older kids most of the time anyway. Little Bro did soccer at the Y when he was 4, and MM is totally right about the age thing.
Big Bro is at b-ball right now, and Little Bro plays on the sidelines. I am too cheap to put him in a class, and his age group meets at 8 am on Sat.. No way!
Oh, and as far as raising a man, hopefully, with these two opposing forces, he will end up somewhere in the middle. 😉
And Zan, marriage to you would be hard for most people. 😉 You got a good one!