13 Year Old Boys

I do not often have the opportunity to talk about how cool 13 year old boys are.... I think most people would agree with that statement.  Usually, they are too cool to talk to you, playing video games, texting or on their cell phones or just goofy and awkward.  Not tonight.

JT's previous boss and mentor, Peter Herrmann (who he coached college basketball with at Western KY University and UGA), was in town tonight with his wife to watch their grandson's traveling baseball team play.  We love the Herrmanns but have not seen them in 2-3 years so we were happy to hear they were town.  We headed over to the hotel where they were staying and the baseball parents were cooking out.  I did not bring swimming trunks for Tedi because I knew he would think he is a better swimmer than he is.... My intentional "forgetting" made Tedi mad and he was being ornery...demanding to leave and go home.  Well, the boys, all thirteen and fourteen years old, starting spilling out of the pool to eat burgers and chips... Tedi just stared.  He is enamored with older boys (he was the youngest of six in Ethiopia) and just watched these them.  As all the boys sat on the sidewalk 30 feet away next to the corn hole boards, I heard "Hey Tedi, come eat with us!" All the boys were motioning for him.  His eyes grew large and looked up at me.  I told him it was okay and to go on.  He ran over and they all greeted him with fist pumps and high fives.

These boys, baseball players that could have been way too cool for a four and a half year old, played wiffle ball with Tedi.  They played corn hole. They helped him fix his food.  One boy, Carter, spent the next hour and a half with Tedi.  It was heart warming for me....not only as his mother but as a person to know there really are good kids out there....kids being taught to love others regardless of their language, color, age, abilities....to love others because that is what you do. 

We had a great time and are blessed to still have the Herrmann family in our lives.  Below is a picture of Tedi with Coach Herrmann as well as T playing corn hole with the older boys, or trying to at least.