DO YOU KNOW YOUR SON, OR DO YOU KNOW HIS STATS?

"My son? What do you want to know about him?" A dad responds to a friend about his only son. "I'm his dad; I know everything there is to know about him. I know all his statistics. I never miss any of his games. When he was eight he played for the Rams and made five goals in one game. (A league record I might add.) That team went eight and one. That one game we lost, he had a cold and wasn't at his best. He had only seven steals; far below his average of 11. He has averaged 11 steals since he was five years old. That was the first year he played soccer. He was on the Dazzling Dinosaurs. That was a tough season; they won two and lost six. He only averaged four shots on goal that year- Oh, and basketball, I love to watch him play. He goes to his left better than anyone else his age. He learned to shoot a left handed lay-up when he played for the Alligators. That's because he and I practiced for hours and hours until he finally got it right.

I had him on a regular training program of shooting free throws, dribbling drills, push-ups and sit-ups every day when he was seven. I loved spending time with him. And our time together was so focused. While other dads piddled around with their kids in the back yard, went fishing, and ate burgers and fries, we were working on running laps and his drop step pivot. We would talk for hours about his personal goals for the upcoming baseball seasons. I even kept a file so he could look back and see his goals from age five. You see, I knew all his goals and compared them to the last season's goals so he could make sure he was staying on track. I was so proud of him because he worked so hard for that college scholarship that we both wanted so badly.

My son is now 21 and actually I don't know him at all. He didn't get that college scholarship and he feels like he failed me.

I knew all his stats, but never knew his heart. I never knew his friends. Outside of game results, I never knew what made him happy or sad.

I can't wait until I am a grandpa. I am going to do so many things different. I'm definitely not taking any stats at the games. After their games, we'll eat pizza and cotton candy, and skip rocks across the lake. We're going to climb rocks, build a tree house in my back yard, and slide down the grassy hill on a piece of cardboard.

I'm going to get to know my grandkid's hearts. I'll ask them questions and listen so I know how they feel about things. I might even coach their little league team, and tell them to have fun, because it's all about friendships and living life together. Then I'll buy "˜em all snow cones after the game- win or lose."