a glimpse

Last night was Open House at the school. The kids didn't feel that we needed to meet all their teachers, but we did need to go attend a football meeting and a volleyball meeting. So, we went.

Nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary at these sports meetings. But I do like the fact that the volleyball coach told the parents that some of her 8th graders would be sitting on the bench because they didn't seem to want to work, and had the belief that they'd be playing just because they were 8th graders. She said that wasn't her philosophy, and that she'd be substituting a lot so that those girls who were working got to play and so she could see who performed well in whichever spot.

I like that kind of attitude, that the kids who play are the kids who work hard. I hate going to sporting events where the kids who are playing are those with the "right" last name. Colby was really bad about that. Apparently, Bucklin isn't.

The best part of the evening was watching Andy interact with other parents, his teachers, his coaches and little kids. Since he was a lifeguard this summer, he got to know just about everyone in town. We saw Andy with a little 2 year old boy on his hip, talking to the little boy's mom. We saw Andy greet his former Basketball coach (who isn't coaching this year) with one of those fancy-schmancy hand shakes and a pat on the back.

Watching him, we caught a glimpse of the man he's becoming. We saw people enjoy visiting with him, laughing with him. We saw people seek him out, just to say "hi".

And, that was my thought...he's becoming a man, and he's going to be a good man. It was one of those heart-swelling moments, cause he's almost there. Kev and I are almost done with our part...he's going to be a good man. That's been our goal, to raise him to be a good man.

Now, we just have to survive his sister's puberty. sigh.