For those of you who know me, you know I like to play! My favorite hobbies have always included some kind of a board under my feet. Surfing is my greatest passion, but I also enjoy snowboarding and carve and long boarding through the streets of Lake Oswego. I get all kinds of funny looks and terse comments from neighbors, who must think I am some kind of teenage troublemaker as I skate by with my kids and their friends.
I’m not alone in this, either. Many times at the beach, on the mountain, or in the streets you will find my colleagues and their kids right there with me. Coach Barry Engelman has recently taken up snowboarding with his boys, and he also surfs with me from time to time. Coach Steve Scanlon can often be found skating in local parking garages at 11pm, or at Mount Hood boarding with his kids.
Anyhow, our immature hobbies are not the point of this post.
So what is my point? That I hang out with boys in men’s bodies? Maybe so, but I believe that there is some life-giving magic to be found in playing outdoors at any age.
After an hour and a half, he left, and one of my sons came by. He is 17, and is finishing up his senior year with some classes at our local community college. The purpose of our one on one time was to connect and take a look at his plan for the next quarter. It was an opportunity for me to listen to him and to connect at a deeper level. I was able to pour into him.
We are so very grateful for the dynamics in our home. Our three teens are truly each other’s best friends, and they all run in one big pack of kids who range in age from 14 to 20. As a result, our house has become base camp for many of our kids’ friends.
