December 27, 2013 by Catherine Schembri 4 Comments
This weekend I will have the thrill of watching my boys play their first basketball game as members of an official team. I know this doesn’t sound like very much to be thrilled about – millions of kids play on basketball teams all over the world, right? Of course they do! But I am thrilled anyway!
About ten years ago, when I was learning what Asperger Syndrome was all about, I was told my boys would never have the coordination to dribble a basketball or to make a basket. I was also told that they would not do well playing team sports and they would probably prefer to do things alone. The picture was fairly bleak. I was to expect withdrawn children who would be weak, clumsy, and unable to interact with their peers.
The laundry list of reasons that Boy One and Boy Two would not ever be able to participate in this (or most team sports) was long. I was told that their poor gross motor skills, sensory overload, inability to engage with team members, trouble with sportsmanship, inability to process information at a rapid pace, poor stamina, (etc., etc., etc.) would make basketball unattainable for them.
I understood the information, processed it, and then I went out and bought a bunch of sports toys. I was not about to tell my kids there was anything that they couldn’t do! (Of course, I didn’t tell them that they had Asperger Syndrome until much later in their life either – but that is another story for another day.) My husband started playing ball games with them.
For a long time it didn’t matter, their athletic interests were elsewhere which was great – because swimming and mixed martial arts were making them strong, focused, and more coordinated.
Then it happened. Earlier this year they got a basketball bug. They spent a lot of hours in the spring and summer months shooting baskets and trying to get some skills. When they had the chance to try out for a team in October, my guys were ready.
The coach and their teammates have been extremely helpful. Every week the boys look forward to the practices and whenever they can get time on a court it is all about working on their dribbling and shooting.
I cannot wait to sit in the gym and cheer them on. Every time I watch my sons achieve something that the experts told me to avoid, I cannot help but feel proud.
I’m so glad my boys decided to take a chance, and I am glad I never told them that there are things in this world that they “can’t” do. I know they won’t succeed at every endeavor, but I want them to always try their best to attain the things that they want.
