Soccer gets a bad rap for haircuts, but after this weekend, I’m nominating wrestling for “Worst Hair in Athletics”. Shaggy pink mohawks, green goatee (on a parent, not a wrestler, but still…), shaved lines, shaved head with raised lines of no particular design… It was amazing.
I sort of feel like I’ve done my boys a disservice. (I don’t mean by giving them somewhat normal looking haircuts.) Both of them lost both their matches and were finished early Saturday at their second wrestling meet. Both of them faced kids who’ve been wrestling 3 or 4 years, as opposed to their 6 weeks. When you’re only 7 or 8, that’s almost half your life! My disservice is in not starting them in wrestling when they were 3.
But wait a minute…
When my boys were 3, did they really need to be in wrestling? Probably not. The learning curve is steep, but is it insurmountable? Again, probably not. There’s a kid Siah’s wrestled 3 times now (in 2 tournaments), and each time, he’s scored more points, gained more control, and spent less time getting thrown around. He’s learning. They both are.
I like sports, and I’m competitive. If there’s a score, I want to win. I want to see my boys win, too, but yesterday I saw some parents that seemed to have way too much vested in the outcome of their kids’ rolling around on a foam mat. I can only hope they’ll be embarrassed when they hear themselves on tape, but I’m not that optimistic…
Leaving with some disappointment, I dropped the kids off at home and headed out to the church building where the feelings of let-down and loss were quickly banished. I got to be there for the baptism of an eighth grade girl whose family is a part of WestWay. What a contrast in parents. These guys were celebrating something that really matters! Any disappointment in the wrestling outcomes was eclipsed with the joy of being able to bear witness to the beginning of a new life lived in Christ.
I don’t really care if my boys become great wrestlers – but to know Christ… that is something worth working toward. I’m glad we started early – and I pray our priority will always be to see them know and love Him. I guess that’s not a disservice at all…