Bragging Mom Moment - Jacob's Turn

I really don't know there to begin. I am so proud of all my kids. They are the MOST amazing, incredible, awesome people I know. They constantly make me stand in awe of them....sometimes it is something small and other times it is something huge. Tonight, I am bragging on Jacob. He has, throughout his life, had a number of "tough" coaches. And by tough here I do not mean good tough. They are just mean people. Basically, they are grown-ups that forgot to grow up. Bullies. But, this also means Jacob has to work harder. He is a great athlete! To quote his father, "He oozes with potential!" And he does. He has this raw potential that his dad, again, says comes from his relationship to my brothers. My brothers both were great athletes and I do think Jacob is following in their footsteps. But for some reason, we have an idea, Jacob almost always gets the raw end of the deal. In each team that we have ever had an issue, one or more of the coaches were "dads". Dads that wanted their sons to be superstars. I get it - you love your kid - you want them to be the best. We all do. But sometimes, the kids just aren't superstars. So because these kids weren't superstars and Jacob was a hard player, he was seen as a threat to these dads' kids - and as such, he was not given opportunity. What did he do? Played right through it. Made the best of every chance he got to play. The same stuff is STILL happening, and probably will. But why? I'll tell you why. Jacob is an athlete. It's in his blood. It's what he is. No matter how rotten they are to him, they can't stop him.

But, he's more than that. He's a great kid. He is naive, for sure. He is not that kid that is into group texting (what a hot mess that is) because he knows his "mom would kill him if {I} did that." I actually overheard him telling some of his buddies at baseball that very sentence last night. I so love that! But that is ok, because that helps him to be humble and kind. He has a sweet heart, and while he does not always think of other people first, when it comes to sports, he has a heart for the kids that get left out or sit the bench. Maybe his experiences have made him more sensitive to this but it does this mom's heart well to know that he cares about other people - even if it just is in sports. Recently, when he heard about a fellow teammate that did not get much playtime, he told me he would sit out so this other young man would have more opportunity. Seriously? I love that this is his heart. Of course, I did not want him to sacrifice his own playtime, but would absolutely support him if he chose to give it.

Jacob is a leader. He is the guy who is cheering the whole team on - whether he likes them or not, whether they are good or not. They are part of the team. Some people might not like him for that. That is their big fat loss. This is what a real, true gentleman is and I would take that anyday. Keep up the good work, son. I am so proud of who you are, and who you are becoming. I praise God for all of you.