Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 281 – Supportive

19 Jul 2020 39 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: , , , , , , , ,

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“Behind every young child who believes in himself, is a parent who believed first.”

Matthew Jacobson

Thank you, Spidey, for finding another great quote to illustrate what I’m thinking today.

Today, we spent around eight hours travelling to, and from, and sitting through, another of Lil Man’s cricket matches, as a family.

(Granted, Lil Princess was dragged, with no interest at all, but she did sit, so props to her for not complaining too much!)

Lil Man loves cricket with a passion. It runs in the family on both sides, with a dad who used to play as a youngster for the district, and an uncle (my brother) who played for Warwickshire county as aa young man, and now is in the Finnish national team.

This year’s season has been hit and miss, what with the Pandemic (as has so much stuff) but a few weeks ago, training resumed and he was so happy. Last week, he played a match, and came awaay quite disheartened, as certain adults were a bit rude to him…

But on Saturday, he was asked to play in his first Men’s match, with the clubs’ 5th team.

We travelled to near Whitstable, in the heat. Whitstable is a seaside town, so we were stuck in traffic, as all the rest of the cars wanted to head for the beach.

Once we arrived, the weather was glorious, and we set out our mats, to sit and watch, as he joined in the game.

He was nervous, slightly, because of the comments last week, but with us there to encourage him, I think it gave him a boost.

He was the last batsman, and finished the innings, with six runs from three bowls, including a four, and was not out.

Bowling is his forte, being a leftie spin bowler, so when they switched over, we waited with bated breath, for them to call him up to bowl.

It took a while, but being a forty-over-each-way match, there were plenty of chances.

He managed to take a catch, clean bowl someone out, and had another batsman run out from one of his bowls, so three wickets out of 9 were his!

Proud parents, we were, sat there, clapping him on.

They lost, but it was a tight finish, and the joy at seeing him being congratulated by the elder, more respected members of the team was heart-warming.

Talking of warming… it was boiling there, and we slathered on the suncream, but I obviously missed a spot, and am now sporting a burnt chest!

And at no time have we doubted his skill.

Lil Man is a fantastic team player. Academics may not be his thing, but sports are. And we, as a family, are right there behind him, cheering him on.

Not least because as a child myself (albeit a grown up one) I know that my own parents have been behind me my whole life, encouraging and pushing me to do what my heart believes, from my teaching, to my writing.

Knowing they believe in me, helps me believe in myself, and this is something I want to pass on to both our children.

So tell me, how do you support your children, or do you have supportive parents?

Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps  And enjoy your week! ❤ 

39 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. Rae Longest
    Jul 22, 2020 @ 01:14:45

    My mother was so supportive–always cheering me on, my number one fan whether I was or did good or not. This gave me not low self-esteem, but inflated self-esteem. I thought I was great , but it was really mediocre. I think it took me until my junior year in high school to realize this. My husband came up the opposite; his mom was his sternest critic. She would accept his accomplishments but always found room for improvement. She’d say, “nice son, but next time…”
    How funny is that!

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. Book Club Mom
    Jul 20, 2020 @ 12:52:38

    Hi Ritu! Believing in our children is the best thing we do for them. Thanks for the description of cricket, too. I am not familiar with how the game works, so it was nice to read! Hope you are doing well. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. charlypriest
    Jul 20, 2020 @ 11:40:20

    That quote was perfect, very true. This Spidey guy is smart.

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. thereluctantpoet
    Jul 20, 2020 @ 02:02:29

    Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Jennie
    Jul 20, 2020 @ 02:02:06

    Ritu, your story is the perfect example of the quotation. All a parent really needs to do is listen to and support their child. If they read aloud to their child, or play sports together, or build cool things, that’s a bonus. It’s hard, yet simple. You’re a role model mum, Ritu.

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. syl65
    Jul 19, 2020 @ 21:55:22

    As long as Lil Man has his family behind him, he’ll do just fine and then some. Great way to boost his confidence. Maybe he’ll follow in the footsteps of his uncle 🙏🏽

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. johnrieber
    Jul 19, 2020 @ 20:07:01

    When my son got a job in Atlanta, I travelled with him on the 2,000 miles journey, then helped him move into a new apartment…no, it doesn’t make me Father Of The Year”, I had a blast! 7 States in 5 days!

    Liked by 2 people

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  8. OIKOS™-Publishing
    Jul 19, 2020 @ 18:58:51

    Sounss like a good “new normality” in the UK. Keep it going on, this way. Gosh, what a cricket tradition in the family. Much more as in the Royal family. Lol
    But poor LilPrincess had to stand, äh sit beside. Maybe you should gift her some fashionable thing, to overcome and for celebrating feminism, at least a little bit.;-)
    Hope you had a nice celebration after the match, and enjoy this weekend too.Best wishes, Michael

    Liked by 2 people

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  9. robbiesinspiration
    Jul 19, 2020 @ 18:32:30

    It is so encouraging to see things getting back to normal in the UK. How marvelous for your son to be playing with adults. Congratulations.

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. willowdot21
    Jul 19, 2020 @ 17:10:45

    This is an excellent post Sis. We really do need to support and nurture bout children. Just as we need nurturing. My parents were very supportive, my mum more than my Dad, hubby’s not so much. But we have always supported our boys, always praised them always been there for them. 💜 Just like you and Hubby dearest are for yours bless 💜💜💜

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Ritu
      Jul 19, 2020 @ 17:21:39

      Thank you Sis. This came about after a chat with a fellow parent yesterday. He’s Indian too, and though his parents were both manual labourers, who came over from India, there was an expectation that he do well academically. He said until he was older, he thought there were only three professions in life to choose… Dr, Accountant or Lawyer… Because those were expected.
      His parents wanted to give him the chances they never had, but the way they ‘supported’ him, meant his choices were blinkered from the off. He’s determined not to do that with his own kids.

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  11. Erika
    Jul 19, 2020 @ 10:42:17

    Great job, LilMan! I always believed in my children and let them feel it. But I also told them to try out things not being afraid if they won’t work out as expected. I wanted to let them know that they are fantastic and that I am proud of them because of who they are not because of what they achieved. I think that takes a lot of pressure off them and they are less afraid but more motivated to hang in. Also, they don’t identify their own worth with what they do but still, because of them going for anything determined and rather relaxed is an excellent pre-condition to succeed. And that is the actual lesson: You can achieve anything you set your mind to. They all made their way in different directions with their different personalities but the same successfully because of going for their own goals and not for pleasing someone. I am definitely proud of my children!

    Liked by 2 people

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  12. Darlene
    Jul 19, 2020 @ 09:52:07

    Supporting your children is the best thing a parent can do. My daughter´s interest in art appeared soon after leaving the womb. So we made an artist studio for her in our basement, with an easel, multi-coloured carpet and a wall of cork so she could pin up her work. We installed Ikea shelves on another wall for her to place her pottery to dry. Today she is a potter and sells her work internationally. Well done to you as parents for encouraging your son’s interest in cricket!!

    Liked by 3 people

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  13. petespringerauthor
    Jul 19, 2020 @ 06:42:26

    The most important thing we can do is to support our kids. Our son was a decent athlete, and he played everything growing up—baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. We sat in the rain and the wind because we knew it was important to him. He got his BA degree in exercise science and his master’s degree in education. Now he’s following his dream and he coaches college football. His team had their first two COVID cases, and now he’s in quarantine.

    Liked by 3 people

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    • Ritu
      Jul 19, 2020 @ 08:14:57

      I’m so glad you supported your son, Pete.
      Whatever they choose to do, they deserve to have their parents right behind them.
      I hope his team recovers, and he stats safe 🙏🏽

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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