Whose teeth are these?

Watching a new human become aware of self is fascinating for a parent. It's been a couple of years since Jordan first started asking for his hair to be styled a certain way. For a year or so, that was spikes. The last few months, he's been combing it straight forward, like in the picture here. Hair is controllable, but another part of his face isn't: his teeth.

He started losing them kind of young, plus he got his six-year molars at four, so his mouth is full of teeth. He had a pretty nice smile before the front ones started coming out, and he's still got a wonderful smile, especially when you combine the full effect of his cheeks and eyes. A recent question he asked me told me how much he's thinking about his looks.

"Why are my two front teeth so big?"

It's rough growing up, having your parts fall out, regrow. Your clothes get too small, too short, too tight. You bump your head on things you used to be able to walk under.

And your teeth don't always fit in your mouth.

Think!

When my son tells me he can't remember what he had for lunch or what he did in school or how something happened, I tell him to stop and think.

His answer at first is always a millisecond denial that he recalls anything. Why? He wants to do something else. He doesn't want to answer test questions from Daddy.

What color was that car? How many people just walked by? Write a sentence about what you did today.

These are all things that would be natural to retain if not for the mega-distractions of the world around, the games abounding, the attitude that everybody gets a pat on the back for doing the best they can do so who cares if they can't add eight and five without thinking about it for 30 seconds.

Well, all bad things must come to an end.

And after he thinks for a couple of seconds, he remembers something.

It's called thinking.

It's roundball season

I stepped up and have been chosen to set out into the unknown of basketball coaching for 7- and 8-year-olds this season. Teaching the fine art of dribbling, passing, and shooting the "rock" is a challenge I do not take lightly.

Okay, maybe just a little lightly. They're only kids. I'm not looking forward to the coaches' training this Saturday morning. I kind of had other things on the backburners, but that's why God made Saturday afternoons, for the backburners.

On two, break. Go to the post, number 2, the post. Didn't we go over "the post"? Okay, time out. Hey you. What's the post?

Nothing but green lights

The past month has seen Jordan really take hold of the whole "green" concept. It's now the rule rather than the exception, and I couldn't be more proud. Well, maybe if he discovered faster than light travel or how to run the car on grass clippings and dog poop, but for now, I can't say enough about his social growth.

He and his friends down the street are more and more in charge of their play times. It's great to have him be able to socialize with kids so close by, and as much fun for me to watch him play as it is for him to play. I'm amazed constantly by the ability of children to become thinkers and doers, little adults, but kinder and more honest.

How great it would be if we could keep that honesty as we grow.