"can doug come out and play?"

said the neighbor. hahahaaaa.

it's really cute, but sad at the same time. the neighbor boy, is the youngest of 4 boys--only 2 of them still at home, and i have no idea how long he hasn't had a father-figure in the picture. from what i gather, it's been just his mom with the parental responsibility since he was born. he's 11 with a speech impediment and he's small for his age. i imagine he gets picked on quite a bit in school.

anywho. one night a few months ago, all the neighborhood kids were gathered in the street in front of our house, like they have for the past three years, just hanging out shooting hoops. the youngest neighbor boy was shooting around with his friends.....all abandoned by their older brothers who are now "too grown up" to do things like hang with their little brothers and shoot hoops. that whole peer pressure thing making it not cool to hang with your family. *insert eyeroll*

anywho. the neighbor hollered a challenge at doug after we pulled in the driveway from the grocery. it was a busy day, so doug promised to play some hoops with them the next night, 7pm. with a little playful banter, and a tidge of disappointment in their demeanor, they agreed.

he made good on that promise. since then, every night, like clockwork, the neighbor is knocking on the door asking "can doug come out and play". it's the cutest thing ever. he has continued to play ball with them more nights than not over the past few months. it makes my heart swell with pride watching him in his niche........doing what he used to love so much---mentoring young people.



i don't know if he thinks much of it. it's just in his nature. to know doug means you know that he is a BIG kid. he is fun, outgoing, the life of the party.......and people just like him. he doesn't try to impress or change his personality depending on who he's around. what you see is what you get. and while he's competitive with them, talking smack and all, they love him.

even still, i love to see that he has really got a knack for hanging with kids, regardless of their circumstances, and showing them love. it's quite remarkable.