I can't tell you about how Griffin's first basketball session went and then not tell you about how the second one (last Saturday) went.
I was hoping for some improvement. I was hoping for less or no crying. I wanted him to participate.
Wanna know how it went? In a word, it was...perfection!
Griffin participated. He ran after his ball when it bounced/rolled away from him. He followed all directions. He practiced his dribbling. He high-fived the girl coach who helped him the first week (by the way, I did track her down and thank her). When the kids sat together so the head coach could talk to them, Griffin raised his hand and answered a question. Seriously!
I held my breath on two occasions. The first was when he jammed his finger on the basketball. He shook it off, showed his coach girlfriend, and went back to playing. The second was when the helper coaches were running the kids through defense drills, and someone other than the girl who always helps Griffin called him over to run the drill. I wasn't sure how Griffin would handle working with a guy he didn't know, but he did a great job!
I was so thrilled. Jared, my dad, and I were BEAMING up in the stands. We gushed all over Griffin when he was done with practice. He's been working hard toward a behavior goal to earn a prize, and we gave it to him early. I literally didn't have one complaint about how Griffin did at that second basketball session, and I wanted to make a big deal about every little component of his success.
Now I have to get my mind and expectations right for this Saturday. I can't expect Griffin to do a perfect job every single time. I have to make allowances for him to be a human, a kid, and a boy with some pertinent struggles. I don't want to go backwards, but I know that my expectations of Griffin have to be hopeful but realistic.
See? Sometimes tough stuff gets better (even temporarily). I like to celebrate the small victories to keep me going towards whatever is ahead!
Jessica
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