Let's Go Pens!

Nope, not a post about how Sydney Crosby won the gold medal for Canada. This is a post about Will. My cute little full contact sports fan Will.

While checking the calendar at the place when Marcus plays soccer, I noticed that right after his last practice, the Pittsburgh Penguins were scheduled to be having practice on the rink. Had to take the kids to check it out!

Will has watched some hockey on TV and upon seeing pictures of people playing hockey, he definitely knows what sport it is. I figured he would enjoy it. At first, I wasn't quite sure what he was thinking. When we went in, there were only a couple guys on the ice and they were skating around, taking shots on empty goals, and causing quite a lot of noise with all those pucks bouncing off the boards and glass. The way Will sat wide-eyed and motionless, I thought he was a bit shocked and scared. It didn't help that he kept telling me over and over again, "I don't want to do that." I kept assuring him over and over again that we weren't doing that, just there to watch. Very little will keep Will still for longer than two minutes, but as hockey practice progressed, Will kept his focus.

Eventually he moved from the steps into a seat and was joined by Marcus and another friend Finn.

All three boys watched the action for a few minutes. Then Marcus and Finn were off running around and playing and Will, he stayed put.

Eventually he moved down to the glass so he could get an upfront and personal look.

Will suffers from selective hearing, but during hockey practice, his focus was so intense that there was no getting through to him. Marcus and Finn tried several times to get him to join in their play, but Will was having none of it. It was hockey time and nothing else. Finn left. Marcus was bored. It was nearly lunch time and we were all getting hungry. Marcus became such a pill, full of whining and complaining and was just being downright annoying. Normally that would have been my indication it was time to get out of there, and quick.

But how do you tear your kid away from something he is so clearly enjoying so much? We stayed a short while longer until at last I announced that we really did need to go. Will crawled into my lap and just cried. It wasn't a temper tantrum, just complete devastation. His little heart was breaking for the love of the game.

I had also noticed on the calendar that the Pens were scheduled to practice again the following day. I told Will that we would talk to Daddy and maybe he and Daddy could come back the next day to watch more. All he talked about all day long was how he was going to go watch hockey again. Sadly, I called the next day and the hockey practice had been canceled.

We asked Will several times if he wants to play hockey now. He kept saying that he is too little. We told him he could play hockey with kids his own size and as that slowly has sunk in, he has decided that is a pretty good idea. Today we were playing pretend and Will wanted to pretend to skate and play hockey. Guess we have to get the kid on ice skates some time.