My Caleb doesn't care much for sports. I think it is because Wallace and I are such big sports fans. He would rather sit at home and watch TV than go to a gym. Sometimes I shake my head at him, but then at other times, he surprises me. Like tonight.
Tonight was 55th District Championships at Breathitt. We played Breathitt, a huge favorite. Caleb was fired up and ready to go to the game. I'm sure he knew that a lot of his friends would be there, but I also think it was because he knew it was a championship. Caleb's always been about cutting down nets and firetrucks and being in the center of the winner's circle.
First stop on the way home from school was Mamaw Karen's. Kami was making some last minute signs. Caleb decided that he needed to make some signs, too. The first one Mamaw Karen wrote out for him so he could trace it. She told us that in all her years of sign-making (and that's a lot...), she had never made one that said Beat BHS. Somehow, that's what Caleb's ended up saying. He then decided that he needed to make a sign for his Daddy. It says, "Go Coach Bates" and had something on there about jumping (one of his Daddy's favorite sayings during a game). He wrote this one out himself and traced the letters in purple and gold. Then, he made one for Brittany Curtis, the only senior on team.
We headed out to the game, signs intact and ready to cheer. When we got there, Caleb sat down by the rail with some of his best buds. Jackson fell behind quick. Wallace yelled and rubbed his head and jumped a few times and there might have been a clipboard broken (we won't say how many of those have been split in two this season). This is when Caleb surprised me.
Midway through the 3rd quarter, Jackson was down by about 30. Caleb came up and got his Ipad. He said, "I am going to figure out a way for us to win this game." I said, "Caleb, baby, I don't think we can win." He then gave me a lecture about how I was just someone who didn't believe and that His Daddy was a good coach and we could win, too. He was furious... and it was just like me looking in a mirror. I can remember a game at Knott County when Breathitt was playing when I was about his age, and how it hurt so bad because we were losing. I was so mad... I hated Knott County. So yes, maybe he does act a little like his Mommy. He then went on to get his signs that he had made and hold them up. He said he was going to scream until he didn't have a voice. And he did scream a lot. He cheered his heart out, and then at the end of the game, went over and gave his Daddy a great big bear hug.
So what I learned tonight from Caleb: 1. A Daddy is still a little man's hero even when they don't see eye to eye. 2. It's okay to believe, even when it looks like things are impossible. 3. Cheering until you lose your voice may not make your team win, but it makes a Daddy get tears in his eyes when he finds out just how much his little boy wanted him to. 4. Be careful how you act when you are small... your kids turn out a lot like you. Grin...
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