My husband and son have been playing ball a lot lately. Since it is so hot outside, these have mostly been indoor games, making me fear for the continued intactness of my ceiling fan and dishes. At five, I can already look at The Boy and predict with decent certainty that he will never be a great athlete. Which is fine. Neither are his parents.

We want him to be comfortable playing sports for fun, catching balls and just enjoy running around. We are teaching him how to throw and how to catch. The statement heard around here most often?

"Open your eyes. Don't turn your head. Don't catch like John Kerry."