Sigh

Bill and I are weird. We've decided this after watching a Special Needs basketball game where parents - mind you parents who have to help their child get dressed - yell at refs and coaches!!!!! LET'S GET SOME PERSPECTIVE PEOPLE!!!!!! Seriously - you have to zip your child's coat - a child who is at leas 10 years of age and you think that it's really worth your energy to yell at a coach for not playing your child more???

Bill and I also cheer for both teams - it's not like we made a pact or something - it just happens. If you really watch the game and see the intensity in their faces - that just running up and down the court is a BIG deal to them - you HAVE to cheer! I wonder - where is the compassion? Where is the camaraderie? I mean - we, as parents are all in this together. Aren't we THRILLED that there IS a Special Needs basketball team? Bill and I are. We're THRILLED with the coaches - who are young adults who could be doing a LOT of things on a Sat afternoon than this. Sure, they get paid - but you know it's not NEAR what the effort demands.

I'm embarrassed. A LOT. I'm embarrassed to be a Special Needs parent - and it's not the kids that embarrass me - it's the adults and I feel ashamed for their actions. Quite the same way I feel ashamed to be a Christian when Pat Roberts opens his mouth and has the audacity to give REASON to a HUGE tragedy the way he did.

The crazy thing is - a Special Needs person would no more yell at a Ref or a coach than Christ would blame God for Haiti. I question? Where are the camera's? I mean, we're surely on Candid Camera or Punked - right??? I mean - it's CRAZY what goes on in day to day life.

So Bill and I laughed our "we're sorry you're so pathetic" laugh that we share a lot lately. We cheered for our little "Brick" who stands - and I mean STANDS near the top of the key and waves to the crowd or tells the others what they should do. We cheer for the other team and tell the people in front of us how cute their son's smile is. We stand as the cheerleaders from the other team - one who is in a wheel-chair, get up and do a cheer for the other team. We joke with the coaches afterwards and tell them to do a shot for us - cause you KNOW after dealing with those parents they HAVE to unwind somehow. We shake our heads on the way home and try and teach Jack how very lucky he is to have a body that works correctly with his brain and how proud we are of him because he helped Sally during practice. And mostly we wonder if the world has gone mad. We wonder how it is that we have come through all this with the humor we possess and then we keep keeping on.

Life is hard enough with Sal (and Jack) to carry all that ANGER. My back isn't strong enough. But I have to admit to feelings of wanting to cross the court - call time out - and shake the CRAP out of the parents that are IDIOTS! The restraint I've shown is amazing. :-)