A Tough Decision

Jordan is facing a tough decision, and I am not sure how to guide him in making the right one.  There's no cut and dry here.  He is contemplating playing football next year.  This may seem like a no-brainer, but he would have to give up A LOT in order to play.  Jordan is in band.  He has been in band since 7th grade, which makes 4 years.  You cannot play football AND be in band. I mean, the logistics of that make it impossible.  How are you going to go into the locker room at half-time for your butt-chewing, if you need to be out on the field performing the half-time show?  :)  I'm making light of it, but my heart goes out to him. 

I know what I want him to do. I know what his dad wants him to do.  Band.  But, it's not our decision to make.  You see, Jordan played football in 7th grade.  I say that he played, but he was lucky to get into the game for a total of 2 minutes!  I love our football team, too.  But, around here, you go will go farther with band than you will with football.  Our band is AWESOME!!  As I have mentioned in previous posts, they have been to Macy's about 4 times, been on a Bahamas cruise twice, been to Hollywood, California once, and they consistently get top honors in all competitions that they enter.  In 9th grade, the senior band members voted Jordan as the "Most Outstanding Rookie."  Before his 8th grade year, the middle school band director asked Jordan if he would learn to play bass guitar so that he could play bass when he got into high school (he initially played alto sax).  Jordan also plays bass guitar in the jazz band, which is about 20 members chosen from the 200+ member regular band.  He played alto sax in the marching band in 9th grade.  This year, the band director asked Jordan to go ahead and begin learning the bass guitar music for the half-time show because he "needed someone he could depend on."  The current bass player is not very reliable.

So, you see my hesitation at the thought of him giving all of that up to play football, in which there are so many unknowns. Will he get to play? Or, will he stand on the sidelines hoping that they will put him in? Wishing he had not quit band. 

 I talked to Jordan about this.  I asked him what he wanted to do.  He isn't sure.  He has quite a few friends that play football who are trying to talk him into playing.  But, they don't really know Jordan's experiences with the band.  Jordan said that if he didn't play football, then he will never know if he was good or not.  He will always wonder.  I told him that I wanted for him to decide and NOT because he knows what his dad and I want. 

This is so hard.  I gave him a suggestion.  I told him to go talk to his counselor at school because that's what she does.  Provides guidance.  He said that he might do that.  I just want him to make a decision that he can live with.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.