Dare Not Blink - Kent Ninomiya

Kent Ninomiya - I took my son to a high school basketball game. He got free tickets at school along with dozens of other kids his age. He was wide eyed with excitement seeing all the action and cheering people. Still, all that noise and activity is intimidating at first to a small boy. I encouraged him to go off and see his friends sitting elsewhere in the bleachers but he preferred to stay close by my side. After more prodding he eventually sought out his best friend a few rows away. Soon he was hanging around the railing with girls, getting drinks of water at the fountain and running off to the gym to jump off things. Every now and then he checked in to make sure I was OK. I spent the rest of the game watching my son, not the basketball. It was the first time I saw him really socialize in a large setting. He worked the room, flirted, and charmed his friends. I wondered how much of that personality came from me and how much was his own. I wanted to take credit for much of it but knew I couldn't. He's his own person now, not the baby I once held in my arms. Sad how quickly that transition happened. I looked around at the little kids faces then at the faces of high school kids nearby. They're not so different. I stared wide eyed at my son's face as he joked with his friends. I dared not blink fearing I would open my eyes to find him all grown up. Kent Ninomiya