John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Horse Racing

Favorite horse racing story.

When my son was in kindergarten his school had a tradition of a stick horse derby race. Parents take it seriously.

There were rumors of moms and dads advising their children on tricks and techniques for winning…and I didn’t want our son to be at a disadvantage.

So I took him out to our backyard to show him some stick horse racing tricks of my own–which I was making up as I go.

The key, I said, was staying focused on running hard no matter what. I demonstrated. Tucking the stick part of the stick horse between my legs and running back and forth as fast as I could. Until I stepped into a hole in the yard and tripped.

At that point I was jarred from my “hyper-competitive parent” mode and looked up and around me. I realized there was at least on neighbor watching me racing on a stick horse in my back yard. And injuring myself.

She was courteous enough to pretend she was looking in another direction in that way that says, “I’m so embarrassed for you that I’m going to do you the favor of pretending I didn’t see that. But I did. And, yes, you looked that ridiculous.”

I went inside and put ice on my ankle.

And didn’t go outside to the backyard again for several weeks. Until I had some dignified and serious reason to be there.

Still, the stick horse race went well. My son finished “in the money” so to speak. I was proud. And I like to think I may have helped contribute to his successful run.

It was a proud moment that made me think to myself in that loving way, “Like father, like son.” Sort of.