Keeping to my word

I preach to NJ all the time: Effort is all we care about.  You try hard, and leave the outcome up to the universe.

You cannot control the outcome - only the input.

So.

What does he do but go and win his very first marbles match this weekend.  The first one he played in.  And he won it at the Pack 308 Cub Scouts Fall Classic Tournament here in Palm Beach County.

What a hoot.

He began by winning the lag, which you do to determine who goes first.  Like the lag in pool, you have to shoot the ball and see who gets closest to the line.  NJ got closest. 

So he went first.  And he gets two marbles with his first shot, and he gets his shooter back.

From there, he did really well.  And his attitude was great.  And he played by the rules.

When he won, we wanted to jump for joy.  We wanted to scream.  

But all we did was walk up to him, give him a hug and tell him he made a great effort.  We did make sure he knew that he had won the match, but that was all.  The rest was hot dogs, conversations and meeting a few new friends.

Consider the challenges Aspergians face when it comes to such things:

- Taking turns

- Fine motor skills

- Understanding instructions

- Concentration and staying on task

- Operating in crowds (there were dozens of kids in the gym)

And consider that an Aspergian won his match on Saturday.

It was, to my mind, something to write home about.  

The other great thing was how the Scout leaders treated the situation.  Although they had established a rule that parents must stay behind a line well away from the competitors, the organizers allowed me to occasionally jump in and help when NJ needed a gentle push in the right direction.

Frankly, I didn't really need to do much at all.  I basically stood about 20 feet away and watched as he participated and did a wonderful job all by himself.

At one point, the chief organizer, Dennis, came over and quietly but firmly told me it was okay to stay with him if I wanted.

I thanked him.  And I kept my place, well away from the action.

That was NJ's business.  And I am proud to report that he gave his best effort.

I'm also happy to report that the outcome was good, too.  

Peace.