Just My Opinion - by Mary Kilen
What A Ride!
It was a hard week for the Blue Jay boys’ basketball team after losing in the region championship game and then again at the state qualifier game on Saturday. While I’m sure there are plenty of “if only” and “what if” moments going on, I just want to point out that it was a heck of a ride!
It was an exciting season. It was so much fun watching this team play, especially when they were completely on their game.
There are so many moments to point to over the season, but just suffice it to say that sitting in the stands or, in my case most of the time standing on the sidelines with my camera to my face, was great fun for all of us.
I’m not going to lie. I would have loved three more games in Fargo this week, but not getting there takes nothing away from the season we all just enjoyed.
It is easy as fans to get wrapped up in the hype and the expectations for a team. We also need to sit back and remember these are teenage athletes, giving it their all out there every night. Sometimes, the breaks just don’t go their way.
So, that being said, hats off and kudos to the Blue Jay boys’ basketball team, their coaches, stats, cheerleaders and fans for giving this community so much to be proud of! We always say “there’s always next year”, but to the seniors that played their last game on Saturday, I say a special thank you for the years of enjoyment you have given us watching you play!
As Seen On Facebook
A friend shared one about the grandparent role and it really hit home. It read:
“My mom doesn’t do everything exactly the way I do. She feeds my children different foods, offers different drinks. They do different things together than we do at home.
Sure, sometimes it seems excessive. I mean, does my three-year-old really need McDonald’s AND cookies AND marshmallows toasted over their backyard campfire, all within 24 hours?
But here’s the thing – it’s only for a few days. Or sometimes just a few hours. Maybe my kids will come home wired. That’s definitely a possibility. Maybe it will take a day or two to get her back into our home routine.
But they will ALSO come home loved, happy, and full of new memories shared with Grandma – memories they will treasure. Their grandmother won’t always be with us. And when she leaves one day, those memories will be all my children have.”
Boy, I could see Dale and myself in some of those statements. It is true that when the kids come to stay with us, it is all about them. We do what they want, eat what they want, and spend lots of time playing games, reading books, and just generally having fun.
We have always said that we want to enjoy this time while we can. It won’t be long before it isn’t “cool” to go spend a week with Nana and Papa. There will come a time when they are grown and those memories will be what we have left. I’m just glad we get to make those memories.
Yes, we spoil them. Yes, we sometimes pay for those decisions ourselves when they’re here. I completely forgot how much caffeine there in a Bubbl’r when I let one of them have one on the way home after a full day of fun in Minot.
There are a couple of things we try to keep on schedule, though. We maintain normal mealtimes as much as possible. It might not be the same foods they have at home, but it will be close to the same time they usually eat. We try to stay as close as possible to normal bedtimes. There might be an occasional night they stay up later because we are going to a movie or we’ve been out of town. Staying close to those bedtimes, though, makes it better for everyone.
It might take Amanda and Zach a couple of days to get whichever kid we’ve had back on their schedule or to “unspoil” them, but I don’t think any of us would trade the times together for the world.