Lochlan 11th: Run Baby Run

Lets just begin with the fact this kid is on fire when it comes to sports. From running to baseball, even throwing a frisbee. To say Lochlan loves playing sports is understatement. We were expecting him to play Fall Ball but after our experience last season playing Fall Ball, we opted to just put him into weekly training at a local batting cage. Originally we were two days a week but the commute was a killer. We had him working with a pitching trainer and batting trainer. We chose training because Lochlan lost interest in doing soccer. But once he started attending his sister fall soccer games that Fall before his 11th, he was bummed to not partake in the soccer season.

With the end of fourth grade, meant a move into his last year of elementary school. Lochlan was showing some anxiety for the change due the chatter some kids were saying 5th grade was super hard. We tried our best to explain to him, that the only thing that really is different in 5th grade is the increase in responsibility. This meant an increase in following through and managing your workload. Fourth grade was really a breeze with his awesome teacher and we got very lucky with a new teacher, for the 5th grade level. I am bias because, while none of my three kids had her for a teacher all these years. She’s was always a strong and positive presence on campus and for my kids. And no I am not trying to earn him good grades. She is the real deal, like so many on that campus. Don’t worry I will write a post at the end of 5th grade because no only are the twins leaving, but we are leaving as a family.

Summer for Lochlan was pretty low-key. The return to summer camp, produced a lot of great memories for him. He made a few friends but not enough to fight us on staying in the same session for next summer. I do feel bad the twins are moving around a lot more in terms of sessions, but it’s allowed us more flexibility with scheduling. When I looked back, it was not until middle school, that Paley started asking to go to a specific session. The school year started with anxiety about his workload. Thankfully, his teacher pivoted and noticed this change and helped him through the process of managing his 5th grade work load himself. It was a bumpy start but he was able to stand on his own two feet without our help eventually.

As we neared his 11th Birthday, I started to notice a change in Lochlan’s demeanor. The twins shared the same Birthday month with my mother. After some talking, he was not looking forward to the anniversary of Mimi’s passing which will always fall around Thanksgiving. I was not on top of things during the Fall of 2023. So we ended up making our trek to traditional pumpkin patch rather late this Halloween season. Mimi loved this trek, and I think deep down, I was procrastinating about the trip. I’ll write about more later in my second anniversary post of her passing. Mimi’s birthday perfectly landed on a weekend day and my brother and I celebrated her 76th Birthday visiting one of her favorite places. Lochlan was somber at first but being surrounded by his family and cousins, really helped pull him out of his headspace of loss.

With his 11th birthday, Lochlan is really blossoming as student and athlete. He’s looking forward to spring ball and playing with old teammates. He’s also looking forward to Middle School a little more. His passion for chess is stronger than ever and his bond with his sisters is the same as it ever was. Although, I think the sisterly bond can make him feel left out at times. It doesn’t help that he’s a boy and wants to rough around. Lochlan is truly a great kid at heart. Always wanting to explore and better himself. I see him building on his sense of independence. This age is truly when they start to define what independence looks like for them. I still say the best thing coming out of COVID was the chore chart. It created a new level of responsibility for them. The allowance is a nice perk, especially when they ask to borrow money and remind them, they can take it from their allowance account. Then they see the balance and start commenting they’re loaded! Sadly I would not call it loaded. For a 11 year old, I guess you can say its a lot of money. Regardless, his understanding of money is certainly maturing as we talk more about savings and spending. There are a lot more lessons to come over the next few years about spending.

Looking ahead in his 11th year, Lochlan will be facing a huge hurdle. Between finishing 5th Grade and starting middles school. With our great wisdom, we have this crazy idea, based on SEL, to transfer the twins to another middle school that will feed into the twins assigned High School. Needless to say, its just an idea, who knows if we have the guts to make it happen. We are excited to see what another season of baseball will look like, but even more exciting, is the idea of middle school sports. His obsession to be first might finally pay off with his passion for running. With the start of 5th grade comes the morning track run. Lets just say, the only days Lochlan is not first around the track, are the days he’s at the dentist or doctor, or out sick. which aren’t that often.