Two fathers, two sons

A dream came true last week when I watched Australia play England at the The Oval in London.

We went for the first day of the Fifth Test. Each day begins at 11am and finishes around 6pm. It’s a long day. A Test Match runs five days and there’s a chance it will end in a draw. In a series there are five Test Matches. That’s up to 25 days of cricket and a series could end in a draw. If you’re an American don’t even try and understand.

Down the row from us was a father and his young son. When I saw how young the son was, I thought he’s not going to last the day. I was right. No doubt dad had convinced himself that this was a great idea for some father-son bonding. But no child wants to sit still for hours watching adults play.

The dad could have saved his money and popped down to a local club game with his son. He could have shown him how adults play and then pull out a cricket bat and tennis ball and have some fun.

The next day I went for a walk in our local park. There are some asphalt tennis courts open to the public. One of the courts was occupied by a dad and his young son. They were playing tennis with a soccer ball. Instead of hitting the ball over with a racket they were using their feet. Dad was shouting encoureagment and instructions to his son as the boy bobbed and weaved around the court returning each shot with skill. That boy was learning to play the game. He wasn’t bored. He was having fun with dad. He was leaning to love the game by playing it. All this cost his dad nothing, except some time.

What a contrast between two dads and their sons. Sit and watch vs come and play.

I wonder if there are any parallels between those two sets of fathers and sons and how we make disciples?