Once again, my little man and I went to another event to cheer on some students except this tie it was not an athletic event, but rather an intellectual one.

The Piedmont Environmental Alliance and the Wake Forest University Debate Team helped to stage their annual debate tournament. West sent three teams.

Malcolm is not much on debate. When he argues, he usually lets it all out at once.

Red hair gets redder. Teenage angst comes a few years early. But he hung in there for a bit and helped cheer on some great students who went and did some rather great things. In fact, hardware was won, respect gained, and hard work rewarded.

Then Malcolm and I got some ice cream.

But as soon as we got home he went to his room (and apparently mine), got changed, and proceeded to prepare for his afternoon baseball/basketball practice.

You have to. There’s still daylight and we are supposed to get a blizzard tomorrow.

Bat, ball, glove, bases, baggy shorts, old hat, baseball shirt, and water shoes.

Why?

Don’t ask why. Just do it!

So here we go.

Again, notice the deliberate approach to hitting the ball. Then the bat flip, but it gets better. Because…

those pants that he stole from my drawer are some of my water shorts that I use for swimming and not matter how tightly I tie them, they fall.

But, no worries, he won’t let his butt hang out.

Decorum is still important.

Yet, while running, he senses that there might be other things to see. And behold, he comes out with…

a BIGGER bat!

So we hit some more. And then I notice that he has surfboards on his underwear.

And that makes the whole ensemble seem complete.

The ability to mesh swimming, baseball, basketball, baggy shorts, multiple bats, old hats, and water shoes into one fluid activity is not just imagination and creativity.

It’s beautiful.

Enjoy the snow, or lack thereof.