Wrestling With Things

Child C just started wrestling for the first time. This is a sport that I know almost nothing about. We are both learning an entirely new language and way of moving and thinking. It’s really challenging, but after a few practices C says he really likes it. We were lucky enough to be coached in soccer by one of the wrestling coaches who has taken C under his wing to help him get up to speed since many of the wrestlers his age have already been wrestling for years. We would be floundering without him.

Coach shows us how to fly.

That’s Child C in bright blue.

After practice on Thursday we went over to say thank you to the Head Coach. He asked C how long he’d been wrestling. We said, “Three days.” He was really surprised and said that C has a lot of natural talent and is meant to be a wrestler. While we owe our coach for our technique, I think we can thank Daddy for our talent. Spouse A wrestled all through school. He is really excited that Child C is in wrestling now. More excited than any of the other sports we’ve done. Wrestling is his sport and seeing C participate and enjoy it is really making him happy.

And there is the rub.

Many of the coaches are dads who love wrestling and help out the team and their kids. Spouse A’s disabilities keep him from participating in sports with Child C in a significant way. Most of his injuries are in his spine which naturally precludes any significant amount of wrestling and/or wrastling* (or walking or  running or standing). My heart hurts a little when I see the other dads at practice with their kids and between practices when they can tussle and rough house together. This, I think, is the hardest thing for Spouse A and Child C when it comes to Daddy’s disability, some of the easy physicalness that they both miss out on.

Child C in blue and yellow.

working on single leg takedowns

*defined for us here as play wrestling 🙂