"Ralph, that's a basketball ... you'll be on special teams." "I'm special!"
Abbie and I went to a basketball game last night. We went to a few Drake* basketball games last winter and I plan on going to more games this winter, and she behaved pretty well at those Drake games, probably because of all the things to entertain a baby like bright lights, lots of people moving, loud music, and everyone spontaneously cheering. The game we went to last night was a summer league game with players from Drake, Iowa State, and other former, current, and future college basketball players at schools of various levels. This summer league game was just like a college game except that no one really cared who won, even though the game I saw was for the league championship. Sure these guys had pride, but judging from the fact that a third of the players from both teams didn’t show up, I’m guessing that winning this league championship ranked in personal importance somewhere around winning pick up games played during recess from Ms. Freemolbottom’s fifth grade class. The audience responded in kind to their enthusiasm, which is to say they were sparse and not very loud. Combine this with the high school gym where the games were played, and I didn’t exactly have an accurate recreation of the college basketball environment. Still, it’s the closest thing I have for measuring her current basketball attention span.
We arrived at the game late since I had to give Abbie her nap and feed us both before leaving. Plus I-235, the major freeway through Des Moines, is under construction, and the DOT has decided to ease the construction process by closing all freeway entrances so no one can actually drive on it. I sat near probably the only guy I knew in attendance so he could catch me up on what I missed, and so I could pass the time during breaks in the action with scintillating comments like “what do you think?” and “that guy looks pretty good.”
Almost as soon as we settled down, the whining began. Fortunately I was prepared with every toddler-distracting trick I could remember. We settled into a bleacher seat with no one sitting beside us so she could wander freely. When she tired of that, I pointed out the baby girl sitting a few rows ahead, letting both of them pass time by pointing at each other. I dug out some toys in the diaper bag, but that really didn’t go well. The toy stock may need updating because very little in there distracted her for more than a few seconds, and that’s a very bad thing now that she can throw. A hard plastic ball-like toy I gave her distracted for all of about three seconds before she threw it down the bleachers, leaving me to pray that it didn’t roll all the way onto the court with every loud clunk down the steps. The one toy I did have remarkable success with was a pair of rattles that Velcro to her wrists. I hadn’t attached these to her in months because she never seemed to notice them, but boy does she notice them now. She noticed them so much that she was determined to rip them off her wrists, giving me a couple minutes to watching the game while she fumbled with them.
By the time she detached the rattles, we had only been there for a few minutes, so I needed to use the heavy guns. Last time we went to a game, she would take half an hour to drink her milk, letting me watch a quarter of the game in peace. Now she drinks a little faster, sucking a sippy cup dry in three minutes flat, so unless I want to keep refilling her cup with juice, risking childhood obesity or, worse yet, a sugar buzz before bedtime, I need to find non-liquid forms of edible distraction. I tried Tasteeos, but those seem to be falling out of favor, as she was more interested in throwing them than eating them. Perhaps I could try some sort of jerky. Reading was always a big hit as she used to be able to sit and flip back and forth through the same book for minutes at a time while I watched the game and recited the book from memory (“orange carrot, pink bow”). Now she may be onto my scam since she quickly tired of her books, sometimes even before the red shirt. Like the toys, I may need to update the diaper bag’s book supply if I’m going to enjoy the game.
Since sitting and entertaining didn’t work very well, I took her to a balcony section and let her wander for a while. Nothing entertains her like letting her think she’s running away from me. As long as no one was around, I could let her wander while I watched the game for seconds at a time. We sat and watched for a little while again, but when that wore thin again it was time to leave despite the five minutes left to play. Walking out to the car, I realized that I need to find new ways to entertain her. Otherwise I won’t be able to concentrate on the game, and I could end up saying, “that guy looks pretty good” about a guy who sucks.
* Drake is an actual Division-1 college basketball team that plays other actual basketball teams, like Iowa and Creighton, along with some teams that may have ties to fictional schools, like Wagner and Southern Utah (as if anyone actually lives in southern Utah).
We arrived at the game late since I had to give Abbie her nap and feed us both before leaving. Plus I-235, the major freeway through Des Moines, is under construction, and the DOT has decided to ease the construction process by closing all freeway entrances so no one can actually drive on it. I sat near probably the only guy I knew in attendance so he could catch me up on what I missed, and so I could pass the time during breaks in the action with scintillating comments like “what do you think?” and “that guy looks pretty good.”
Almost as soon as we settled down, the whining began. Fortunately I was prepared with every toddler-distracting trick I could remember. We settled into a bleacher seat with no one sitting beside us so she could wander freely. When she tired of that, I pointed out the baby girl sitting a few rows ahead, letting both of them pass time by pointing at each other. I dug out some toys in the diaper bag, but that really didn’t go well. The toy stock may need updating because very little in there distracted her for more than a few seconds, and that’s a very bad thing now that she can throw. A hard plastic ball-like toy I gave her distracted for all of about three seconds before she threw it down the bleachers, leaving me to pray that it didn’t roll all the way onto the court with every loud clunk down the steps. The one toy I did have remarkable success with was a pair of rattles that Velcro to her wrists. I hadn’t attached these to her in months because she never seemed to notice them, but boy does she notice them now. She noticed them so much that she was determined to rip them off her wrists, giving me a couple minutes to watching the game while she fumbled with them.
By the time she detached the rattles, we had only been there for a few minutes, so I needed to use the heavy guns. Last time we went to a game, she would take half an hour to drink her milk, letting me watch a quarter of the game in peace. Now she drinks a little faster, sucking a sippy cup dry in three minutes flat, so unless I want to keep refilling her cup with juice, risking childhood obesity or, worse yet, a sugar buzz before bedtime, I need to find non-liquid forms of edible distraction. I tried Tasteeos, but those seem to be falling out of favor, as she was more interested in throwing them than eating them. Perhaps I could try some sort of jerky. Reading was always a big hit as she used to be able to sit and flip back and forth through the same book for minutes at a time while I watched the game and recited the book from memory (“orange carrot, pink bow”). Now she may be onto my scam since she quickly tired of her books, sometimes even before the red shirt. Like the toys, I may need to update the diaper bag’s book supply if I’m going to enjoy the game.
Since sitting and entertaining didn’t work very well, I took her to a balcony section and let her wander for a while. Nothing entertains her like letting her think she’s running away from me. As long as no one was around, I could let her wander while I watched the game for seconds at a time. We sat and watched for a little while again, but when that wore thin again it was time to leave despite the five minutes left to play. Walking out to the car, I realized that I need to find new ways to entertain her. Otherwise I won’t be able to concentrate on the game, and I could end up saying, “that guy looks pretty good” about a guy who sucks.
* Drake is an actual Division-1 college basketball team that plays other actual basketball teams, like Iowa and Creighton, along with some teams that may have ties to fictional schools, like Wagner and Southern Utah (as if anyone actually lives in southern Utah).
posted by Matt at
9:30 PM
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