That is my estimated calculation of how many more Saturdays I have left to spend with my boys. It’s based on the fact that when they reach the thorny and self-conscious age of sixteen they will prefer to drive themselves to their own soccer games lest mom and dad embarrass them any further. While we are enjoying the end of the season when we don’t have to cross examine schedules the night before the games, I can’t help but wonder, what will we do with our time when our children decide they would rather hang out with a friend one inevitable Saturday? Sleep in no doubt, travel more, work more, who knows? Until then I will savor our final Saturdays and hopefully generate many memories to recall when that day comes. It was our first year we committed to soccer teams and I didn’t expect to appreciate my Saturdays this much! Both of my boys are fun to watch and their precision and coordination are something to admire especially my youngest…boy can he put on a show! His air of easy pride even when in my mind what seemed like the last interminable five seconds of the game, he shoots…he scores…victory by one goal and the crowd goes wild, okay so his parents go wild! He is a torrent of energy, a fearless player rustling up his teammates to indulge more passion into the game and obliging his opponents to remember his number imprinted on his back.

On the way home from practice last week, we brought along a friend to hang out with us the rest of the evening, and a conversation about grandparents sparked. Our friend was gearing up to see his grandmother in a wheel chair and my son voluntarily described his ninety-year-old grandfather who is sixty percent deaf in each ear and how grandpa and grandma are taking sign language classes now. Then he described how loud he has to speak in order for grandpa to hear him over the phone and imitated him to a “T”. It was one story among many I heard him recount to his friend throughout the evening—this is what I am going to miss about my weekends. I hope when the time comes for my fledglings to desert the nest that they will occasionally pick up the phone and be willing to recount stories from their lives to their mama like they do with their friends. May you treasure your Saturdays even if it’s with a touch of calamity coordinating game schedules in your nest.