What time is it?

Golf time?

You wouldn't think so looking at this ugly storm coming in... but that is exactly what time it was at our house the past two days.

High School golf tryouts!

When the teenager decided to try out for golf last year instead of baseball, I never thought I would see the day he wasn't playing baseball. It was almost harder for us to accept the decision as parents than it was for him to make it. Baseball had become such a huge part of our life and so many of our family plans revolved around baseball.

I remember how nervous he was trying out for golf. He didn't know if he would even make the team. But he did, and loved it... it was a love even deeper than we had seen with baseball, if that was possible.

So Monday when tryouts began, I thought the nerves wouldn't be running so deep this year. He knew what he was capable of and he just had to go out there and do it.

Much to my surprise, he was almost more nervous! He really really wanted to make the varsity team this year. There were allot of freshmen trying out that are great golfers, so much competition, he knew it would not be just going out and playing golf, he would have to really work at it, keep his head in his game and play his best.

The weather was windy and not conducive for his best golf game, and even though he practiced his breathing and calming techniques all the way out to the golf course, his nerves were really working on him.

Yesterday he found out he made the varsity team, I thought he would be over the top excited... but when he told me, he was happy, but trying to keep his feet on the ground about it. He knew he would have to keep playing top notch games to keep his position on the team. And it was going to be a very challenging golf season. Where did all of this maturity come from all of a sudden?

He has also been struggling with his grades, and they just have to be top priority right now, or there will be NO golfing! And while the school has a fairly light policy for staying on the team, as parents we raised that bar, and the kid is dangerously close to losing his time on the golf course if he doesn't pull it up and quickly! It will be such a hard day if we have to do that, but it is the reality right now.

So making varsity golf is great, and we are really happy for him... I just hope we don't have to go learning those hard life lessons the hard way this semester. Pleeeeese don't make me be the mean Mom!