I want to share an interesting experience I had with my son Memphis the other day. Before I get too ahead of myself, you need to understand something about my son. Memphis is infatuated with hockey! He loves watching it, but especially playing it. The kid even dreams about it. It is so exciting to see a passion develop in a young person.
Back to the story…
I thought we were going to be a few minutes late for Memphis’s hockey practice the other day, only to find out we were early. That was weird. What was going on? I thought I had read the schedule right. I approached one of the parents to find out what was going on. He informed me how the team is split into different groups based on skill level. We were at the wrong one. I felt horrible! Devastated! I could see in Memphis’s eyes he was saddened by the news. It crushed me to see him sad. I don’t know what came over me, but I was so overcome with emotion. I put my head down and started helping Memphis get undressed. I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. I felt so bad for him, but he handled it like a champ. Better even than his old man.
We left the dressing room, and headed to the Flex. As we walked to the car, I kept reaffirming Memphis how proud I was of him for how he handled the situation in the dressing room. He was a real pro. So, because of his great attitude I decided to take him to Dairy Queen to get a treat. As we drove I began asking Memphis what he wanted. He blurted out that he wanted a mint Blizzard at first, and then quickly changed his mind to wanting an Oreo Blizzard. This is where the story gets interesting…
I asked Memphis if he was sure that was what he wanted? He thought about it for a few seconds, and said to me, “I’m not sure, because you asked me if I was sure.” As soon as he finished making that statement, I heard a still small voice say this to me, “why are you creating doubt in his mind?” Ouch! That hurt. It was true though. As I sat there and thought about it, I was being convicted for how I was treating Memphis. I think as parents we’re not always aware of the harm we can inflict upon our offspring. I felt horrible as I thought about the truth of that statement. I don’t want to be the one sowing doubt into the mind of my son. I want him to be a confident, young man.
