Ben's Shirts
"Mom, I need my laundry done"
"OK, go do it"
"I don't know how"
"Well, go get it and I will show you how." (AGAIN AND AGAIN, dumber than a box of rocks!)
A few minutes later he appeared with a massive pile towering in one basket. Placing it on the floor, he sat on it squishing it down and releasing an odor, smiling like a little boy instead of the young man he was. Down in the wash room, I patiently (again) explained dropping in a detergent pod, spinning the dial to regular wash and then pulling the knob out to start the machine. I stopped him from putting three loads worth in one and walked away. Lucky for him, his girlfriend arrived in time to teach him (again) how to use the dryer and put in the next load. Despite my firm stand on no longer doing his laundry, I found myself folding his clothes later that evening while watching the baseball game.
T shirt folding is an art in it's elegant simplicity. Find the shoulder seams, hold up, snap the wrinkles out, pull shoulders together, tuck the sleeves in, and then fold into thirds. The smell of Ben filled the air as I worked on shirt after shirt, reliving his 4 years of high school with each one.
The abundance of spring and fall rec and travel team soccer T shirts remind me of his first love. Way too big for many years, they now fit his strong back, chest and broad shoulders. I can still see the crazy co ed rec games that eventually became more about flirting with the girls and one up man ship with the boys than soccer. And the awesome moments when the game just stopped and they all erupted in laughter because someone slipped in the mud, or kicked their soccer cleat in the air along with the ball. I once remarked to another soccer Mom, that without those rec soccer T shirts, he would have nothing to wear to practice and I would have nothing to wear to bed. Eventually I got to his Big Ten Championship, Superior Senior and Big Ben shirts and the wonder of his final senior soccer season flooded back. He gave all he could give, game after game and played with the same boys he had been playing with for years, boys that became brothers on the pitch. This spring the team was given official World Cup USA uniforms in recognition of the history they made and his favorite piece, the USA red uniform top was also in the pile.
Three seasons of track didn't bring as many shirts, but the ones he has are special. The State Championship Indoor and Outdoor Track tops came with a feeling of pride and belief in himself as he became a fine runner. He loves the Cohoes Relay shirt when they won the Sprint Medley Relay and set the school record and this years shirts when they won the SMR and the 4x400. Those were earned the old fashioned way with hard work, dedication and the need for speed. With each relay shirt, I also remembered his teammates who worked just as hard and are awesome young men.
The only ones not about sports were the Junior Fire Cadet and DWI/Police shirts from the last two summers, both of them relegated to my night shirt use. And lastly, I folded his senior Falcon's Nest shirt. BennyBoo blazoned on the back and worn to all special senior days, every school sporting event and occasionally by his girl friend, Sarah.
I wondered how many more times (I mean this in both a good way and a bad way) I would have the pleasure of folding his shirts; the shirts he has grown into, worked for, and been gifted. They tell his story of high school. Some parents savior their kid's art work, others have kept theater and music production programs and some proudly hang all the scholar awards. Me, I have soft, worn, Ben smelling T shirts to fold and I couldn't be happier.
"OK, go do it"
"I don't know how"
"Well, go get it and I will show you how." (AGAIN AND AGAIN, dumber than a box of rocks!)
A few minutes later he appeared with a massive pile towering in one basket. Placing it on the floor, he sat on it squishing it down and releasing an odor, smiling like a little boy instead of the young man he was. Down in the wash room, I patiently (again) explained dropping in a detergent pod, spinning the dial to regular wash and then pulling the knob out to start the machine. I stopped him from putting three loads worth in one and walked away. Lucky for him, his girlfriend arrived in time to teach him (again) how to use the dryer and put in the next load. Despite my firm stand on no longer doing his laundry, I found myself folding his clothes later that evening while watching the baseball game.
T shirt folding is an art in it's elegant simplicity. Find the shoulder seams, hold up, snap the wrinkles out, pull shoulders together, tuck the sleeves in, and then fold into thirds. The smell of Ben filled the air as I worked on shirt after shirt, reliving his 4 years of high school with each one.
The abundance of spring and fall rec and travel team soccer T shirts remind me of his first love. Way too big for many years, they now fit his strong back, chest and broad shoulders. I can still see the crazy co ed rec games that eventually became more about flirting with the girls and one up man ship with the boys than soccer. And the awesome moments when the game just stopped and they all erupted in laughter because someone slipped in the mud, or kicked their soccer cleat in the air along with the ball. I once remarked to another soccer Mom, that without those rec soccer T shirts, he would have nothing to wear to practice and I would have nothing to wear to bed. Eventually I got to his Big Ten Championship, Superior Senior and Big Ben shirts and the wonder of his final senior soccer season flooded back. He gave all he could give, game after game and played with the same boys he had been playing with for years, boys that became brothers on the pitch. This spring the team was given official World Cup USA uniforms in recognition of the history they made and his favorite piece, the USA red uniform top was also in the pile.
Three seasons of track didn't bring as many shirts, but the ones he has are special. The State Championship Indoor and Outdoor Track tops came with a feeling of pride and belief in himself as he became a fine runner. He loves the Cohoes Relay shirt when they won the Sprint Medley Relay and set the school record and this years shirts when they won the SMR and the 4x400. Those were earned the old fashioned way with hard work, dedication and the need for speed. With each relay shirt, I also remembered his teammates who worked just as hard and are awesome young men.
The only ones not about sports were the Junior Fire Cadet and DWI/Police shirts from the last two summers, both of them relegated to my night shirt use. And lastly, I folded his senior Falcon's Nest shirt. BennyBoo blazoned on the back and worn to all special senior days, every school sporting event and occasionally by his girl friend, Sarah.
I wondered how many more times (I mean this in both a good way and a bad way) I would have the pleasure of folding his shirts; the shirts he has grown into, worked for, and been gifted. They tell his story of high school. Some parents savior their kid's art work, others have kept theater and music production programs and some proudly hang all the scholar awards. Me, I have soft, worn, Ben smelling T shirts to fold and I couldn't be happier.
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