iTeam

Whoever coined the phrase "There is no i in Team" was just showing off his/her ability to spell and nothing else! Perhaps that person has never been on a team and just trying to be a smart aleck!

Craigley has registered Hans in Hockey again. This time around, the boy has Hockey School as well! It is a lot of Hockey over the weekend and soon, the father-son duo will be joining our friends for skating on Sundays. That's a lot of ice time!

Technically, none of this should bother me if the pair of them managed themselves. But of course, they do not and depend on me to wake them up and get them ready and send them off to the multiple Hockey/Ice commitments.

Last week, Hans was sick. He was throwing up on Thursday and Friday, and he was scheduled to play goalie on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, this year, there is no dedicated goalie for Hans' team and each team member is taking turns at playing goalie for 2 consecutive games. Craigley is the coach again and so, I requested him to send a note to the other parents letting them know that Hans was too sick to play goalie. But does the biggest villain listen to the concerned Momley?! Nope, not at all!!

Hans played goalie last Saturday with hardly any strength in his body. Not surprisingly, the team lost 9-2. Poor Hans was humiliated. Craigley was like at least the winning score is not over 10!

Craigley is not for real!

2 days ago, Hans said that he is worried that all his team members hate him. So, I told him that it wasn't his fault that the team lost. It takes the entire team to win a game and he shouldn't feel responsible for the loss. This morning, I let my boy know that his team needs to support him and he needs to have fun. Who really cares who wins or loses?!

Hans' team lost again. This time it was a score of 8-6. Definitely an improvement and apparently, he had a couple of good saves!

So proud of Hans!

The boy has been quite unhappy since school started. Yesterday, his best friend went back to her mother's motherland indefinitely. Last Monday, we managed to grab a quick dinner with the girl and her mom, who happens to be one of my dear friends. The 4 of us have hung out together since the kids were 2. It was a very emotional goodbye for all of us, especially for Hans who also has no friends at school currently.

Given the emotional state of the boy and his recent recovery from his sickness, I believe he played decently and hopefully, he feels he had redeemed himself in some way.

I can't be more proud of him.

Since the moment he heard the news that he didn't get in to The CW, Hans has felt like he is perhaps not so special after all. He has also felt like he is perhaps not so smart. He has felt like he is worth nothing.

What the boy doesn't realize is that one's worth does not depend on material and measurable things. Hans is worth his salt for who he is and how he treats people. Even when he could have blamed his dad or his team for the losses, he took personal responsibility for them.

There is an i in Team, and when it is defined by someone like Hans, it makes u or 1 want to be part of that Team as well.

Hans, continue to be who you are through all the failures and obstacles in life; it will only make you a better person. You are already smart and special; you will find out one of these days.