Energy to Burn!

I have a five year old son. If you have a son, that's all the information you need to know. If however you don't have the privilege of living with a boy, let me explain. He is overflowing with energy and, while capable of sitting still, doesn't enjoy it and would prefer to mimic a bag of microwave popcorn. He is loud - think rock concert mosh pit volume. He is curious and is always trying to figure out how something works. He loves tools and has taken apart numerous things in our home, like the chairs, and the banister. He likes to hide, when I'm running late, and he thinks it's hilarious when I can't find him. He teases his sister about 75% of the time, but the rest of the time (when he's not sleeping) he calls her princess and tells her she's beautiful. He is more than a handful, but I wouldn't trade his personality for anything... well, maybe for a couple more hours of sleep but that's it.

As you can imagine a child with such energy and enthusiasm for life just blesses his teachers and coaches each day by his presence in their class. Ok, maybe not. Maybe I find myself apologizing on a regular basis for his shenanigans. Maybe we have long talks in the car before his Y Tot's Day Out class about listening to the teacher. Maybe some days that works.

I am hugely grateful for his Tot's teachers and his Youth Sports coaches. Their patience with my son goes above and beyond the call of duty. The simple fact that he enjoys his time at the Y and asks to go back speaks volumes about their investment.
I picked him up from Youth Sports the other day to find that he had a new coach. I was opening up my mouth to offer an apology for his energy when Coach Mike said, "Christopher did great today! He showed me how high he could count by counting his jumps on the mini-trampoline." And THAT is why I love the Y. A brand new coach that saw a high-energy child and used the tools at his disposal to get that energy out. He managed to find it fun to work with my wonderfully crazy boy.

Posted by Amy Maloy, State Director, MD Youth and Government, Y of Central Maryland