Lucas vs Nate

 Nate vs Lucas

Monday, August 24, 2020

11:37 PM

It's strange because while I don't think we are complete opposites, the personalities of myself and Lucas aren't very close. He is a full blown extrovert, an entertainer, who when at his very best, enjoys being around everyone and everything. I, on the other hand, just want to read Game of Thrones books or watch EPL in a room by myself and not have to say a word to anyone at anytime. But when we are together, it's magical. Since he's been 2 years old, he's always held amazing eye contact. And so we have these deep, intellectual conversations and I feel like I learn as much from him as I hope he's learned from me. We talk chess, Marvel, sports tactics, demographics! I remember our first debate when he was probably like 27 months old and I wanted him to experience a shower. He said, "No. Bath." I told him, no we are going to take a shower and I'll hold him when the water runs. Again, "No! Bath!". But Lucas, the shower is great, efficient, and fun. "Not clean. Bath." Oh, I see. We can't clean ourselves in showers, only baths, because there's no bubbles in showers… Or the time when he was 3, and he still had a little anxiety about going to preschool. So in the mornings, I would get him talking, to take his mind off of the things that were bothering him. So we used to talk about the things I would do while they were in school. Then one day he says something along the lines of: "Dad. I go to school. You go to the bank, then Cub, then go to the coffee place, then get $5 pizza, then get me and Logan, then go home." It was literally everything that I would do while I dropped them off at school, and he was able to apply all those other trips and put them into a one day errand extravaganza. Perceptive kid, this Lucas.

Lucas started puzzles when he was about 18 months old, finishing them when he turned 2, completed the entire Preschool Monkey Lunchbox before he was 2 and a half, and was playing chess right when he turned 4. He loves that challenging stuff. And he doesn't even work hard at it, we were playing Chess the other day and he was watching Netflix while he played me. I beat him, but not before we went about 70 moves. I've been obsessed with this game for 5 years, and he casually takes me to the ropes with barely a thought. 

I try to cater to the needs of those around me, and maybe that's why Lucas and I get along so well. Very rarely does Lucas attempt this… lifestyle… as he usually likes to dictate the action. He does it while playing with Logan, with his friends at school, with the neighbor kids in the backyard, he really just enjoys running the show. When we are together, it runs pretty smoothly. We've started the Marvel movie storyline, and I like that he has researched the order of the films in the way we are supposed to watch them, and we analyze the characters together and how we hope the story will end. (I think Thor: Ragnarok is our next film?) When we do drills, I set up the cones to his needs and wants, and then he explains the process on how we are going to train. But what he doesn't realize is, I'm grooming him to become a leader, so I love taking a backseat. Logan needs me to run all training, and Aiden prefers training on his own. I love the uniqueness of their development though.

I never thought my best friend could be a kid. I am the square peg, to his ever evolving round hole. He really dislikes reading, I recharge with it. He wants hundreds of friends, I hold high esteem over the 3-4 closest friends that I've made. He loves cooking, puzzles, board games, and big moments. All I need is a TV and a sports package and furthering my children's development. 

My final Lucas anecdote. Big-Moment Lucas. Boys 2011 top team played Girls 2010 top team. So essentially 2nd and 3rd grade boys vs 3rd and 4th grade girls. And these girls are good. I mean, a really strong team. Physical, pushing the boys around, chasing them relentlessly. They give Aiden's team tons of problems whenever they scrimmaged. We're playing them, and as the game goes on, the boys get more and more confident. Down at times 3-1 and 5-3, the boys have it back to 5-4 in the final minute, when the boys get a throw in (kick-in, thanks COVID) in the girls half. I get close to Lucas, and tell him, "A big moment buddy, let's make this one your own." He runs up and takes the kick-in, receives the ball back from his teammate, and blasts the ball past the girl in goal, who had absolutely no chance. 5-5! 

Shining star, this guy. Whatever he does, he's going to shine bright!