This past weekend another parent called my son a Statistical Anomaly. What he didn’t know, that when I was pregnant with my son Mateo, at the very early stages of my pregnancy, he was not thriving. His numbers in the early development stage of about 6 weeks were not progressing. He was not growing. The doctors prepared us to believe, he was not going to make it. They said to prepare ourselves for the worst.
Fast forward 12 years, that boy is a straight A student, and excellent hockey player, and a wonderful human being. He is chivalrous. He holds the door for strangers. He does chores around the house & loves his siblings (in between fights). He's the kid who never goes to bed without saying good night. His embraces warm your heart instantly & he hugs everyone.
I know you're all wondering, why would a dad call this boy a statistical anomaly? This past weekend at a hockey tournament far away from home, my son broke the skate of his blade for the second time in his short career of youth Hockey. What you don't know if you're not a crazy hockey mom like me, is that this is a very rare occurrence. Most kids, even Pro hockey players don’t break a blade in their lifetime. I mean for heaven's sake, it’s a stainless steel blade. The dads were shocked, the moms were shocked. What do you do at 6 o'clock on a Sunday morning with a broken blade? Just like 12 years ago, when the doctors prepared me for the worst news, I reacted the same. Well in the “Mateo fashion” as I like to call it, we persevered, we beat the odds. Thoughts in my mind went through my head, was this the end of the world? Did it matter if he missed one game? This wasn't a life-and-death situation, but to my 12-year-old boy, this was everything. He wanted to be there for his team, he wanted to contribute, he wanted to win the game. That's the blessing of youth sports. The game challenges the athlete and gives them a chance to prove themselves, to beat the odds.
So, at 6 AM on a Sunday, 13 hours from our home, we found replacement blades for the skates and Mateo played the game. Despite all odds stacked against him, he made it on the ice and played the game. He went on to skate 150% and ended up being rewarded with the Hard Hat for the game. So as I reflect on his life, he is exactly what the dad stated, a statistical anomaly. He is a fighter and I am proud that I got the chance to be his mama.
Erika is the publisher of Macaroni Kid Carlsbad and the Community Development Manager of Macaroni Kid National. She and her family are transplants from the East Coast and have been living in Carlsbad for almost 2 years. On weekends, when not in an Ice Rink, you will find her riding bikes, walking the beach and spending time with her family. She loves the outdoors, traveling and being adventurous.
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