Yesterday was the boy’s second birthday. His great-grandmother got him a basketball hoop. It’s very short but very real. Orange metal rim. Clear backboard. White net.
He misses almost every shot he takes. Mainly because the ball is too heavy, but also because he doesn’t like it when the ball has dirt on it, so he sometimes seems more interested in getting it out of his hands rather than into the goal.
But he’s a shooter. He has the mindset of someone who has never heard the term “Made FG %” combined with someone who always thinks they're open. It’s lethal.
And man, does he have fun missing every single shot. No one has ever had so much fun going 0 for 48 from the field. I love that about him.
Yesterday, I tried to teach him how to shoot the ball higher. I figured if he could get a bit of a running start, he’d have enough momentum to get the ball up above the rim. And it worked. Once.
But then all he wanted to do was run back and forth with me while holding the ball. That was the game now. And to him, the game always matters more than the score.
There’s a lesson in there. But right now, I’m thinking of ways to show him how to bend his knees. That’s all his shot needs.
Thanks for reading this far.
- jd
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#content
E.B. White - I’m halfway through a collection of his essays. This one may have the greatest opening paragraph ever.
Swingers - I listened to an interview with Vince Vaughn that made me want to watch it for the first time. It’s weird in an endearing way. Also, the ending of the movie inspired the ending of the writing above. Sometimes, you don’t have to spell it out.
A True Renaissance - Why am I already looking forward to the 2025 Tour de France? And why are these elite athletes the most emotionally vulnerable men in the world?
Question
I’m guessing most of us played sports growing up, in one way or another. So, the question today is a thinly veiled parenting one—what would you change about your childhood sports experience? Or what’s something you loved about it that you wish all kids could experience? Hit reply. I’ll read and respond.