My Little Catcher

It seems like we can't have a day without some kind of drama or emergency. Yesterday was no different. Jacob had a t-ball game which he seems to really enjoy. I watched the coach help him get on the field and then turned my attention to M who was exploring another child's toy truck. I turned back to the field only to find that Jacob was gone. No one seemed to know where he was. I began asking other parents if they saw where he went and no one had. It's not like Jacob to just disappear so I was getting a little worried.

I waited for the half-inning to finish and then asked Jacob's coach where he was. His coach stated he didn't know. He had told him where to stand on the field and then turned around and Jacob was gone. He was hoping I knew where he had gone. Now, I was really worried.

I began frantically looking around when a parent walked up. He had just spotted Jacob looking scared down by the concession stand. I walked over and sure enough, Jacob was chewing on his glove and anxiously looking around. I called him over and asked what he was doing. Apparently, I had changed bleachers and he hadn't noticed. While he was on the field, he looked over and couldn't find me. He became frightened and decided to leave the game to see where I was. He seemed truly frightened so I took his hand and walked him back to the game.

I showed Jacob where I was sitting and sent him back to the field. He told him coach he wanted to play cathcher and did a great job. He caught the ball when kids threw it to him and paid attention to the game. He really had a great time and this time I didn't leave the stands. He looked over several times giving me a thumbs up after a good catch and grinning ear to ear.

After the game, Jacob and I discussed safety. He promised to always ask his coach if he knew where I was. He also promised to never just leave to look for me again. He will tell his coach and then try to find me. I told him if nothing else, the coach's fiancee can always help him look but an adult needs to know where he is.

I was proud of how well Jacob did playing catcher. Maybe he finally found his niche in baseball.