For years, I’ve perfected the cheering lingo of the various sports our sons have played. Each one has its own unique language.
Baseball: Nice cut — Good hit — Right to the glove — Just play catch — Good hit.
Basketball: Tough D! — Arms up — Look for the ball — Nice shot.
Track: Keep it going — Stay strong — Go, go, go!
And now it’s tennis.
And I’m silenced.
My son quickly pointed out that shouting for your kid on the tennis court is poor etiquette. I am required to stand mutely behind the fence, just smiling when my son sneaks a glance my way before a serve. It’s hard to do. I have been cheering for my sons for so many years, it’s not easy to watch silently.
Being silenced has also given me a new appreciation for the requirements of the sport. I pay closer attention to the forms and styles of the players, watch the boundary lines, and when my husband is at the match (a former tennis champion) I always, ALWAYS, have to ask him about the scoring.
There are lessons in silence. I think it makes me more attentive to the nuances of the sport, as well as the nuances of my son.
But in my head, I’m still cheering like crazy.
I love this post!
I was silenced by oldest son three years ago at ALL his sporting events. He said cheering (or in many parents’ cases – screaming) was distracting. My middle son also picked up on his brother’s cues to silence mom.
I don’t mind. It saves my voice and frees me focus my camera’s lens on their work! Later, we make our exchange: “Nice Shot!”
Thank you, Wendy! I’d been yelling at sporting events for so long, I didn’t realize that in tennis, you aren’t supposed to cheer. When I cheered for all of our sons’ other events, they usually couldn’t hear me anyway!