I Hulk Out on Occasion

It was our usual hour of practice on the soccer field.  All of us soccer moms, and one soccer dad, were watching our boys scrimmage against each other in a three on three.   It was an attempt to teach them defense and passing as strategies.  Silly as it might seem to a four year old, they actually appeared to be finally getting it. 

It was a balmy 94 degrees outside. The dust from the parking lot swirled around as the wind blew  hot air at us all. There had been a lot of random flailing, pushing and pulling on shirts during the practice.  The boys are all competitive about being the one in front of the ball, which is why they were working on passing.  Several times play had stopped because someone knocked heads or got poked in the eye.  All of us soccer parents had given our boys kisses and sent them back out onto the field.  The game had begun to have some flow to it and then...Dylan shoved Zane hard in the back and sent him flying.  Zane ended face first in the grass, after a bounce.

"HEY!!!"

I wanted to tell the person yelling to be quiet, until I realized that it was me.  I hadn't even realized that I was on the field until I was leaning over my boy.  I had gone full-on Mama Bear and "Hulked out"(in honor of the Avengers movie opening this weekend!).  Dylan took one look at me in all my Hulkiness and ran crying to his Mama, which was probably in his best interest.   I picked Zane up, because he was crying, and looked him over. 

He didn't seem the worse for having kissed the grass, but I still got a little teary, because he's my kid and I don't like to see him cry.  Thankfully, my sunglasses hid my eyes.  Dylan came over with his dad and apologized to Zane for the shove, and then I carried my son over to the sidelines. I let him tell me what happened in his teary voice while he calmed down.  He had a few gulps of Gatorade to go with his sniffles, and sat a minute or two.  Then we had the following conversation:

"Are you ready to go back in there?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"Okay, well, are you ready to suck it up and go score me a goal?"

"Yes."

And then Zane ran back out there, back into play.   I was so proud of him.  I know what it feels like to hit the ground so hard that you bounce; I wouldn't have been upset if he had wanted to call it a night.  But boys are pretty resilient when it comes to sports, so Dylan and Zane were right back out there together, going after that ball with their usual enthusiasm.  When practice was finished, we packed up and headed home.  While we were driving home, my husband, who had seen the entire incident, took my hand tenderly in his. 

"I didn't know that you could move that fast," he said.  Neither did I. 

My Son and the No Pants Rule

Zane likes to watch movies/tv shows about superheroes, just like his parents. We have mostly looked for movies/shows like the Justice League, since animated stuff is mostly benign. This week Zane has been watching The Incredible Hulk as his featured DVD. So after we sat with Zane through the entire movie, he wanted to re-watch the fight scenes with the Abomination, which is Tim Roth's character. So the next day, we did. Zane was very concerned about this character, and it took me awhile to figure out what he was talking about. It turns out that Zane was not scared of the character, which is what we originally thought. My son was upset because the Abomination...was not wearing pants. I made a very serious effort to keep a straight face at this point in the conversation.

Zane decided at some point(how, I have no clue) that it is vital for all superheroes and their nemeses to be clothed in some manner. And when I thought about it, all the other heroes and villains he's ever seen in movies, animated tv shows, books, etc., were clothed. Even that Martian Manhunter dude put on pants! As far as Zane was concerned, the Abomination being pantsless was a terribly bad thing, and "NOT NICE!" He felt that the Hulk's angry behavior was completely justified, considering that the Abomination was wearing no pants.

Personally, I think that having a rule about wearing pants is a good idea. Most people I know are not comfortable in the presence of someone not wearing pants, and I am not sure that would change if the individual in question was a superhero. So today I learned that my son will likely never intentionally be sans trousers in public if he can help it. That is one less thing that I, as a parent, need to worry about. I am thankful.