Live From Local Elementary School Gym

My nephew has made two stinkin’ adorable comments related to the television since I’ve known him.  The first was when he was quite young.  He was used to seeing me and my partner together in real life.  So, when my mother turned on the television to see one of the relatively frequent interviews I was doing on behalf of a prior job, he asked, “Where’s Partner?”  (Partner isn’t his real name.)   

Uh-dorable.   

He thought that because Partner and I were together when we were in Nephew’s (Nephew isn’t his real name.) presence, we were together everywhere, even on TV. 

Much more recently, I received the reminder that Nephew was playing in his first real basketball game... at an elementary school.   When I arrived, Nephew’s Mom told me that as they prepared to leave their house for the first basketball game, Nephew asked, “Is my game gonna be on TV?”   

Uh-dorable. 

I have no idea why Nephew actually thought his basketball game played at an elementary school gym was important enough to be broadcast on television.  And, at first, I was going to write this entry about “kids these days,” and their focus on “likes,” being “Insta-famous,” and screen-time.  

Then, I thought about it, and I wondered if seeing his Aunt on TV has oddly skewed his belief that things our family does are on TV.  Eh, maybe not. 

Then, I thought about it some more and decided that THE KID JUST THOUGHT HIS GAME WAS THAT IMPORTANT.  This isn’t the time to argue about whether what’s on TV actually is important.  And, you can understand why a kid playing his first basketball game at an elementary school does think that things on TV are important.   

And, I love that he would care so much about something that he assumes other people care as much as he does.  I wish I did everything with the mindset that, “This is so important; it’s gonna be on the TV.”  But, honestly, I assume that almost everything I do won’t be on television.  

​And, maybe, that means Nephew’s approach is better.