Awesome Dude

I signed my kids up for an eight week basketball class. Because they could both take the same class, at the same time, at the gym where I could work out while they shot baskets, and it was only $50 for the two of them. Win, win, win. The kids have been beyond excited about playing basketball together, and I have been thrilled about the opportunity to plod along on the treadmill and watch the news Oprah.

We showed up to the first class today, late, because I had a hard time convincing C that basketball requires sneakers, not crocs. And I walked in to a sea of mommies hanging around the back of the gym. "Oh God. I'm not expected to STAND here for the whole class," I thought. Not that I wouldn't LOVE to watch my kids play basketball, but I was really looking forward to my guaranteed thirty minutes on the treadmill. So I started to look around for the coach.

"Hey dude and dudette! What's your name?" a voice called out from the center of the court. And there stood two teen boys who looked like they weren't even old enough to drive. Around them stood a gaggle of three, four and five year olds hanging on their every word. C's eyes widened, and he went running over to deliver a high-five to the outstretched hand. A looked less thrilled, but trotted after C because that's what little siblings do (most of the time).

I looked at the other mothers and asked "Are these the teachers?" One shrugged and said "Well, we guess so. But HOW are two teenage boys going to manage with THAT many small children? What if someone has to go pee????" And I realized why everyone was standing around in the back of the room. I eyed the situation for a few moments, and then announced "I was babysitting at 14. Surely these boys are more than 14 because of child-labor laws. And I am all about gender equality, so I think they'll be JUST FINE." And marched out of the room and down the hall to the treadmill. The rest of them slowly followed, throwing backwards glances back into the gym.

When I arrived to pick the kids up, everyone was lined up in a nice straight line, waiting their turn quietly. The boys coaches saw the moms arriving and whipped out their cell phones. "Whoops dudes and dudettes, time's up for the week. We'll play the really awesome game next week. It's totally rad guys." I asked the kids how they liked the class, and the response from both of them was "Awesome!"

The treadmill time is worth the language reprogramming right? Right?