Kids' Rule: Always Keep 'Em Guessing

I find it so interesting that, though in the real world, repetition brings mastery - play a song over and over, you master it... say a scripture over and over, you memorize it - in raising children, this is not what happens. We are on our fifth and sixth child now. I dare say we have made many, many mistakes as parents. For the most part, however, in spite of us, they have turned out to be amazingly wonderful adults. (Now, my little Morgan is not to be included yet...someday, he will figure it out!) And again, we are on our fifth and sixth...should be a piece of cake, right! Hold it...not so fast. Case in point: Nathan playing football. We are baseball people. Dad coached t-ball teams for all four boys. We played year around. We had our own pitching machine. I can even pitch a mean split finger fast ball (Now, Ethan, no comments. I did have speed. I just lacked accuracy!) Then, Nathan comes along and wants to be on the football team. I do know football, but getting your son ready to play comes with all different paraphernalia...shoes, pads, mouth guards (cannot be clear, must be colored so the refs can see you have them). Practices were twice a day before school started. And when you pick up a football player who has been practicing in 110 degree weather for three hours...well, let's just say, I dare not take Kate in the car at the same time. (She rarely keeps her opinions to herself.) Ethan played catcher for years...sweating behind all that catcher's gear...but never ever did he smell like this!! Oh, well, another learning experience for mom and dad. My guess is that the next three years on the North Pointe Prep Varsity Football team will make me an expert...or so I hope!