| "Love is that condition in which the happiness of | | | | upstairs at bedtime, ran quickly and aggressively from |
| another person is essential to your own." Robert A. | | | | base to |
| HeinleinOur harsh winter appears to have left us for | | | | base as if their little lives depended on it. These same |
| good-at least until | | | | boys, |
| November-and the veritable heat wave we're | | | | who couldn't run a comb through their hair in |
| experiencing now has | | | | preparation for |
| left us with a supreme case of Spring Fever. Folks | | | | church on Sundays, had their heads all figured out with |
| are outside | | | | perfectly situated caps, proudly worn, as if a badge of |
| gardening, children are scootering, and shoppers | | | | American honor. Some of the boys, having played for |
| are-once | | | | a couple years, handled the ball with finesse well |
| again-strolling throughout downtown.And Little League | | | | beyond what one would expect from 8-year-olds. |
| has officially begun.We are brand new to Little League, | | | | Batters hit home-runs, mid-fielders-with mitts facing |
| my husband and I. We've got | | | | skyward-caught well-hit balls, and little boys, barely able |
| the soccer thing down pat, and the basketball, | | | | to recite their times tables, recited the number of runs |
| lacrosse, and | | | | by each team perfectly.It was with middle-aged |
| tennis thing, too. But none of our kids have ever | | | | wisdom that I watched dads shouting out |
| played | | | | commands to their sons. "Thumbs up!" or "Steal to |
| baseball. My oldest expressed interest some ten | | | | third!" |
| years ago-and | | | | screamed the guys next to me. Still trying to get a |
| actually played a season's worth of T-ball-but having | | | | baseball head on my shoulders, I would only humiliate |
| never been | | | | myself confessing to you my lack of knowledge of |
| one to enjoy sitting on hot bleachers while | | | | the game. Don't get me wrong: when Victor batted a |
| pregnant-as seemed to be the case every other | | | | great ground ball, I screamed like every other mom: |
| Spring-we never particularly encouraged the sport. But | | | | "Run...run!" But as an older-O.K., perhaps the |
| funny how mellow one becomes with the fourth kid. | | | | oldest-parent in the stands, I brought not knowledge or |
| Call it him needing to discover a sport tackled by no | | | | experience to the game. That I certainly didn't possess. |
| older sibling, call it him trying to carve a unique niche in | | | | I brought to this fourth child of mine's game the |
| the family. or call it late fortysomething parents who | | | | ability-finally-to sit and revel in his enjoyment in playing a |
| are letting the fourth kid practically raise himself: we | | | | sport. In learning something new. With no preconceived |
| have become Little League parents now whether we | | | | notions of how well he should perform. Or how he |
| like it or not.And what a glorious celebration of the | | | | stacked up to other kids his own age. Of how |
| sport we had this weekend! With temperatures | | | | coordinated or uncoordinated he was. Or of if he'd |
| soaring into the 60's, blue skies, and none of the rain | | | | ever be able to get into college on this.I brought to this |
| we've endured all week, several hundred moms and | | | | game the quiet resignation that this was going |
| dads arrived at our high school stadium early on | | | | to be my life for possibly the next ten Springs. But I |
| Saturday morning to experience Little League's | | | | also |
| "Opening Ceremonies." Kids met their coaches and | | | | brought to those bleachers joy previously |
| team managers on the parking lot ramp to assemble | | | | encumbered by baby's |
| into teams; parents made their way into the stadium, | | | | nursing schedules and toddler's nap schedules. Joy |
| finding shaded bleachers to enjoy quick chats with | | | | that never |
| neighbors and friends, their early morning Starbucks | | | | fully blossomed with my other kids because I was too |
| and-if they were lucky-a brief read of one section of | | | | busy for it.This weekend I was able to see it exactly |
| The New York Times.In true New England small-town | | | | for what it was. And |
| style, we rose for an invocation | | | | allow it to take hold of me. Exactly how it was |
| led by a local minister, patriotically recited the Pledge | | | | supposed to.I brought to my other kids' sporting events |
| of | | | | exhaustion, |
| Allegiance, and stood awestruck as a Little League | | | | frustration, and apprehension. But for this fourth and |
| mom sang one | | | | youngest, |
| of the most magnificent renditions of the National | | | | I was able to bring pure unadulterated delight. And |
| anthem I'd | | | | that, for me, is growth.Carolina Fernandez earned an |
| ever heard. All in the name of America's favorite | | | | M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as a stockbroker at |
| pastime.Teams paraded onto the field, one by one, | | | | Merrill Lynch before coming home to work as a wife |
| with coaches' and | | | | and mother of four. She totally re-invented herself |
| managers' names announced via megaphone, kids | | | | along the way. Strong convictions were born about the |
| waving to moms and | | | | role of the arts in child development; ten years of |
| dads in the stands, and parents cheering wildly for | | | | homeschooling and raising four kids provide fertile soil |
| their hometown-business-sponsored-kid's team.But if | | | | for devising creative parenting strategies. These are |
| the kids were cute at the kick-off, they were utterly | | | | played out in ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast |
| adorable at their games. These little boys, unable to | | | | You Into Brilliance. It is widely available online, in |
| run | | | | bookstores or through 888-476-2493. |