By Christine
Growing up in a household of girls, I never appreciated sports much. You see, I was a band geek, if you really want to know. Football games were the events we band members attended so we could enjoy 15 minutes of glory during halftime. Shivering on the metal bleachers in the late autumn mist, I grew to resent the athletes who kept themselves warm by chasing after pigskin orbs and the like.
When I had my son four years ago, everything changed.
From a very early age, Jackson has been fascinated by anything that moves. Whether it is a wheel, a balloon, or ball, he appreciates the mechanics of motion. Eyes bright, he spends hours tinkering with his train set, toolbox, or tractor.
Recently, we entered the "age of the ball." Soccer is his preference, although he also likes the beach ball we own, a promotional item from a local coffee shop. We even took it with us on our Italian vacation, tossing it back and forth in the pool for an entire week.
The other morning, he woke me up by bonking me on the head with it and saying "Handball, Mama! Let's play!" Intuitively, I lifted the covers and thwacked the beach ball with my leg. One of my eyes was still snapped shut.
My husband recently commented on how fit I looked. Glancing in our bathroom mirror, I had to admit he was right. For a moment, I couldn't figure out how I could have grown such arm muscles since I had missed four dance classes in a row. Then I heard my son's voice calling me from downstairs.
"Badminton, Mama! Let's play!" Grinning, I flexed my pecs and said a quick prayer of gratitude for Jackson, the little boy who keeps me on the ball.
Christine is an American author and freelance writer living near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two children (Jackson, 4 and Sophia, 6).
Lucky you!
My son keeps me busy but the busier I get playing with him, the busier my mouth gets eating sweets! haah
Posted by: Analee | July 11, 2005 at 06:05 PM
First of all, I am NOT in shape by any stretch of the imagination but when Lillianna and I went to visit my mom this past December, I lost 4 pounds in 5 days. I did stay on my diet but Lillianna and I played with her beach ball in the pool for hours every day. The jumping to hit the ball and the swimming to retrieve it when it went too far, must've been enough exercise to take the weight off. I think I just need to play more physical activities with Lillianna. The weight would just melt off.
Oh, and by the way, some of my best friends were "band geeks."
Posted by: Robin P | July 10, 2005 at 07:25 AM