He's Gonna Be a {Soccer} Player

Folsom Zoo | September 2013

"He’s gonna be a player when he grows up."

That’s what a waitress said to me earlier this month.  

She was referring to our then 21-month-old son, who said "hi" to her several times throughout the course of our meal.        

I thought to myself, Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!, but no reply or retort came out of my mouth.  I just politely smiled.  

I wish I'd had a comeback on the tip of my tongue--something witty or funny or sarcastic.  But I stink at quick responses.  Give me five or ten minutes, and I'll be ready to fire back, but on the spot, I've got nothing. 

This is, by no means, the first time that someone has commented on Noah's charming personality.  Or how cute he is.  Or how friendly he seems.

It happens all. the. time.  

People have used the terms lady killer, charmer, and heart breaker to describe Noah, and while I don't necessarily like that language--especially when used to describe such a young child--uttering the word, player, took it to a whole new level.  

Now, I tried to give the waitress the benefit of the doubt.  I thought, Maybe player doesn't mean what I think it means anymore?  Lord knows, I'm not hip to the jive that's used on the streets these days.

So, I googled player (which sounds so ridiculous as I'm typing it!), and read the urbandictionary.com definition.

Click on the link above if you're interested in reading it, but since I try to keep my blog family-friendly, I won't be typing it here.

Unfortunately, it confirmed what I suspected: That I'm still hip to the player jive.  

So, let me set the record straight:  Will my son be a player when he grows up?  Only if there's an adjective accompanying the noun.   

A soccer player.

Or a guitar player.
 

Or a baseball player.

Or a trumpet player.  

You get the idea.

Then, I'm game. 

But just a player?  

Uh-uh.  

No siree. 

Not happening.    

And you better believe, this mama isn't playing around.