Daily Sports Column in Japanese Here トレバーの虎場（デイリースポーツのコラムはこちら）
Parenting is not without its trials and tribulations, but every now and then, there are periods I like to refer to as “Golden Ages.” Like when kids have learned to walk and talk, but haven’t yet learned about rebellion and deception. Or, if you do things well, the post-puberty years can be pretty special as well, as you see your child start to blossom into a fully functioning adult. Right now, I feel like my older son is hitting one of those golden stages. He’s five, and finally processes things a little more deeply. He asks questions. We finally have actual human-like conversations.
It’s translated well to baseball fandom, too. I mean, he’s grown up with the Tigers on TV, so he’s been familiar with the team his whole life. Even as recently as last season, he would just see the numbers on the screen change and tell me, “Hey Daddy, now the Tigers are winning 4-2!” But now he sees the actual hit that pushes the run across the plate, which results in the score change. Fascinating and fun!
I started taking him to Tigers games before his second birthday. Back then, he often saw me working on the H-TEN page, and asked me to play the cheer songs. Over and over and over. Even his lullabies were hitting marches! It was cute and definitely fun, but obviously, he had no clue what I was singing, what I was writing, or what we were watching. Though he even knew all the cheer songs by heart before his third birthday, it was just rote memorization. Nothing more, nothing less.
Then this past weekend, when we were at the ballpark, I noticed a change. For the first time (in my estimation), he actually paid attention to what was happening on the field. Not perfectly, but for a five-year-old, it was impressive. He even asked me why I was getting so upset… I had to make sure I kept my jeers and complaints family-friendly, for sure, as Seiya Kinami committed error after error. But it was also a nice change of pace to patiently and simply explain what was happening on the field so he could deepen his knowledge of the game.
It might seem like a small thing, but since I don’t really remember how I became as big a sports fan as I am now, it is really fascinating to see a smaller version of myself learn a game, ask questions, and really “get” what’s going on!
A true golden age. Now we wait for the Tigers to experience a Golden Age, too, so we can celebrate it together, as father and son!