Sunday, May 29, 2005
Boo's Obsession: Part II
Scattered throughout our house and across our lawn are pint-sized versions of assorted balls and related accessories: a football, a basketball, two soccer balls, a beach ball, three "wiffle balls", numerous tennis balls ( including one suspended by string from the ceiling of the patio), plastic golf clubs and golf bag, a basketball goal, several tennis racquets, a couple of baseball bats and and a baseball "T." The variety seems to be well-suited to Max's often-abbreviated attention span. (I'm having a moment of self-doubt, though--if we offered him fewer choices, would he focus longer on whatever toys were around?) But dabbling is not in Boo's make-up, even when he's presented with abundant alternatives.
Boo is consumed with tennis with a focus that could only have come from his father. We first noticed his passion when we gave Max a junior tennis racquet for his third birthday. Max would periodially take a few swings at the tennis ball on the patio, but Boo's appetite for hitting the ball was insatiable even before he was one. Every evening, Lee watches tennis with Boo, who clutches a racquet in his hand and yells "Ball!" at the screen. If Boo grows restless, he'll wander outside and whack away at the ball for awhile, then return to watch some more. This evening while we were playing in the backyard, I picked up a racquet and served a few balls at the fence. Boo's amusement was audible. Then he tried to figure out how to simulate my overhead motion. He discovered that by reaching over his head and perching a tennis ball atop the fully-extended baseball T, he could hit it using something resembling a serving motion.
When kids are learning to play tennis, they learn to hit by bouncing a ball and hitting it on the way up. As their hand-eye coordination improves, they drop the ball and hit it on the way down. Reed has already figured out how to smack the ball before it bounces. Sometimes he even bounces it off his head on the way down, which makes me wonder whether he's just amusing himself by increasing the degree of difficulty. His accuracy isn't perfect, to be sure, but I'd guess he makes contact at least half the time.
You might wonder whether Boo pays attention to other things when we get out of the house and into the world. Let me assure you, he brings his obsession with us. As he rides in the car, Boo will pantomime practice swings from his car seat, yelling "bop!" with each imaginary hit. Even the pleasures of a playground are no match for his siren's song. When we go to the park, Boo walks over to the courts and stares longingly at the tennis players while Max swings and climbs and runs.
I know that I'm in danger of sounding like a psycho-mommy with grandiose visions of her child's potential. So I offer these examples to reassure myself that I'm not simply delusional. Wednesday evening we had dinner at the club to celebrate the beginning of summer. Both kids were too excited to stay at the dinner table. Max romped in the pool while I supervised; Boo made a bee-line for the tennis courts. When our dinner arrived, I went to find father and son and ran into Lee's regular doubles partner leaving the courts with a man I didn't know. The second man, who had been the #1 ranked juniors player in the state many years ago, said, "I've been hitting with your son. He's really good. He hits better than my four-year old. I can't believe he's not yet two." We've even had someone suggest that we might have Boo assessed by a coach experienced in identifying and working with young talent. Neither Lee nor I is inclined to do so, but it's an indication of what other people notice in Boo.
To see an intensity of interest and capability in a person so small is amazing to behold. I don't know what to make of it, and I certainly can't explain it, but it's clearly there for now. As Lee and I see it, it's our job to make it safe for Boo to pursue his passion and equally safe for him to choose other paths. At least until he's out of pre-school.
Boo is consumed with tennis with a focus that could only have come from his father. We first noticed his passion when we gave Max a junior tennis racquet for his third birthday. Max would periodially take a few swings at the tennis ball on the patio, but Boo's appetite for hitting the ball was insatiable even before he was one. Every evening, Lee watches tennis with Boo, who clutches a racquet in his hand and yells "Ball!" at the screen. If Boo grows restless, he'll wander outside and whack away at the ball for awhile, then return to watch some more. This evening while we were playing in the backyard, I picked up a racquet and served a few balls at the fence. Boo's amusement was audible. Then he tried to figure out how to simulate my overhead motion. He discovered that by reaching over his head and perching a tennis ball atop the fully-extended baseball T, he could hit it using something resembling a serving motion.
When kids are learning to play tennis, they learn to hit by bouncing a ball and hitting it on the way up. As their hand-eye coordination improves, they drop the ball and hit it on the way down. Reed has already figured out how to smack the ball before it bounces. Sometimes he even bounces it off his head on the way down, which makes me wonder whether he's just amusing himself by increasing the degree of difficulty. His accuracy isn't perfect, to be sure, but I'd guess he makes contact at least half the time.
You might wonder whether Boo pays attention to other things when we get out of the house and into the world. Let me assure you, he brings his obsession with us. As he rides in the car, Boo will pantomime practice swings from his car seat, yelling "bop!" with each imaginary hit. Even the pleasures of a playground are no match for his siren's song. When we go to the park, Boo walks over to the courts and stares longingly at the tennis players while Max swings and climbs and runs.
I know that I'm in danger of sounding like a psycho-mommy with grandiose visions of her child's potential. So I offer these examples to reassure myself that I'm not simply delusional. Wednesday evening we had dinner at the club to celebrate the beginning of summer. Both kids were too excited to stay at the dinner table. Max romped in the pool while I supervised; Boo made a bee-line for the tennis courts. When our dinner arrived, I went to find father and son and ran into Lee's regular doubles partner leaving the courts with a man I didn't know. The second man, who had been the #1 ranked juniors player in the state many years ago, said, "I've been hitting with your son. He's really good. He hits better than my four-year old. I can't believe he's not yet two." We've even had someone suggest that we might have Boo assessed by a coach experienced in identifying and working with young talent. Neither Lee nor I is inclined to do so, but it's an indication of what other people notice in Boo.
To see an intensity of interest and capability in a person so small is amazing to behold. I don't know what to make of it, and I certainly can't explain it, but it's clearly there for now. As Lee and I see it, it's our job to make it safe for Boo to pursue his passion and equally safe for him to choose other paths. At least until he's out of pre-school.
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