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Reaching for the Cup by CJ Kaplan
“This one is all yours,” said Lisa, handing me the Little League notice stating that all participants must wear an athletic supporter and protective cup.
My wife, who grew up with one sister and no brothers and is occasionally horrified by boy stuff, told me that procuring this particular piece of baseball equipment for our 7-year-old, Alex, was a father-son deal of which she wanted no part.
So, Alex and I hopped in the car and headed off to Modell's. As we drove, I could tell that he wasn’t completely sure of the nature of our errand.
“What exactly are we getting, Dad?” he asked. “And where do I put it?”
I spent the majority of the short ride trying to explain to him what a jockstrap looked like (“You mean there’s nothing covering your butt?!?”) and how the hard, plastic cup fit (“No way!”), but he just couldn't visualize it based on my descriptions. When he finally saw it on the shelf, he just laughed.
Then, when we got home and I showed him how to put it on, he thought it was the greatest thing ever. It made him feel invincible. In fact, the first thing he did was run downstairs and dare his 3-year-old brother to punch him in the crotch. He wore it for the rest of the day even though he didn't have baseball practice.
It occurred to me that this was, in a strange way, a rite of passage. This was the first recognition of his manhood, both literally and figuratively. So, I didn’t protest when he insisted on wearing his cup in the Opening Day Little League Parade. (He was easily the most well protected kid marching through downtown Needham that day.) But, I drew the line when he asked if he could wear it to school. My flashbacks of gruesome dodge ball incidents notwithstanding.
I know the novelty will wear off soon. But for now, in his mind, the cup is one step closer to being a grown-up. I just hope, for his sake, that his little brother doesn’t catch him when he’s not wearing it.
Copyright 2011 CJ Kaplan. All rights reserved.
ph: 617-605-8799
cj