my proud moment....

Well, here I am in AppleWorks typing this blog enttry prior to its posting. Simply because our internet thievery has all but come to a halt, everytime I get ready to type a blog or email, the damn thing goes off. Almost never fails. So Thess gave me the idea of doing it this way, putting it into a text form and when I have reception cut and paste. So here I am giving it a try, who knows when I will get reception again so I might type this today (Saturday October 31, 2009) and not get it posted until NewYears. We might have to break down and just get our own wireless at some point soon.

This week at work was a good week, but a slow week as I described in the one blog entry I was able to get posted. I made it to 2 of Jack’s practices this past week and he did so unbelievably good. I had a nice talk with him Before Monday’s practice about other kids and their attitudes and that you don’t have to take shit from snotty, spoiled little mouthy shit kids.

It started a few times when I had witnessed some of the other kids telling Jack (mind you this is before practice started and they are all just throwing the footballs around) that he would play with them, or saying things like “who said you could play?” , or when he try to pick up the football that was thrown to a certain kid and missed that kid would push him down when he bent over for it and then take it from him. Jack is so nonconfrontational that it drives me nuts. Then again it reminded me of myself at the age. I didn’t need those kids and didn’t have to be a part of what they were play at the time and I delt with it. But, it sure does hurt when you see you kid get treated that way and he does the same thing I would do just walks a way, stands by himself and waits for practice to begin. Mind you, this doesn’t happen every time, but it has happend enough that I gave him my first bit of advise as a dad.

It reminded me of when my father talked to me about fighting or confrontations, he told my...”if they start it...you finish it!” I never did finish it, I just “turned the other cheek...” and walked away. I know informed Jack that he doesn’t have to take they shit and to let them know that you won’t be put out that way. Especially when they are all on the same time. They know he isn’t a confrontational kid and they know he won’t say anything back to them so they do it. Jack deals with it fine, but you can tell that it does bother him, he doesn’t understand why other kids aren’t nice and don’t want to play with everyone.

Boy!...this is turning out to be quiet the blog. Almost an entire story.
Any way the week started out like that at practice for Jack....Three of his team mates were playing fly-up before practice Jack go there and joined in. The ball was thrown and none of them caught it so Jack was the first one to pick it up. When he got ready to throw it back...one of the other kids said, “who said you could play?” Jack being Jack simply handed the ball to that particular kid and just walk over and stood there. That really pissed me off. So I called him over and asked him who that kid was...he told me his name. Then I asked him...”What did that kid say to you?” In which he replied...”nothin’” I knew what the kid had said because I heard it. I told Jack that I knew and that it wasn’t very nice. Jack told me that that kid doesn’t say that very often. That didn’t matter to me at the time because I was tired of seeing Jack like me. I told him that the next time a kid says something like that to him or treats him like that, he has my permission to tell that kid to F...off and to kiss his ass and to go to hell. Not the best advise but advise nonetheless.


I told them that those were bad words, but that dad was giving him permission to say them when kids treated him that way. And if there was a problem I would talk to whomever I needed to. I explained to him that as a child I was the same way, nonconfrontational. That I would simply walk away from those kids just like he does and go do my own thing. I wanted him to stick up for himself and not let those kids be that way to him without them knowing that he wasn’t scared or going to take it. Football was the perfect place to get them back. Hit them hard make them hurt and let them know that Jack Fenner was there. It was fair at practice and until the coaches tell him not to hit so hard keep those kids in you sites and let them know. Do it for himself, for his heart and for his self confidence. Don’t do it for the coaches or for his teammates, not those little shitty ones.

That practice and the next practice he did absolutely amazing, going through the line and making tackles everytime. It them became apparent that was disrupting the offensive play practice so much the coach put him on offense so he couldn’t. Then when he was on defense again, the coach moved to a few different places. In my eyes it was because they were not able to practice their play because Jack kept getting through to the quarterback and to the running back. Not every single time, but enough times that by the end of the week he didn’t even get to play on the defense, he played on the offense so they could practice. TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST PROUD MOMENTS I HAVE HAD AS A DAD. To see he with confidence, with pride, with the ability to do what he needed to do and not let up. I was even more proud when he got done and it was all done so quietly and with out any fist pumping, or thinking he was the best. He did for himself and that made me proud. That is a moment that I will always think about. Even if he goes back to his old self, I know he has it in him with the right motivation and encouragement. And knowing that not everyone is nice and that at some point you need to give it back to them to let them know you won’t be walked over.