Tumbling Down Trilogy -- One Shots

Acceleration

Matthew — 12 years old
Jason — 8 years old
Madelyn "Maddie" — 6 years old

•••

"No! Absolutely not!"

"And why not?" Tyler asked, following her into the bedroom.

"Because. I will not let my baby play that fucking game with those older kids!" she stuck her ground, but Tyler was not having it.

"He's not a baby. And he's really good!"

"I don't care! And yes he is! He's my baby! And I will not let him do it!"

"What are you so afraid of? Him being a great football player?"

"I told you to put him in running. He would be plenty good at that."

"We did the races with him! He hated it, remember? He wanted to play football, and I told you he'd be fine! He hasn't broken or fractured a bone! He hasn't even pulled a muscle!"

"He twisted his ankle," Mackenzie pointed out.

"Playing tag at the playground! He hasn't gotten hurt in sports. He definitely will, but he hasn't yet. Which means he's good and responsible enough to-"

"He will if you move him up! Have you seen the kids in the older division?! They're mean and big and-"

"Matt has outgrown you! He's not small and definitely not small compared to the kids in the next division. You didn't seem to have this problem letting Jason skip not one, but two grades! Maddie is competing in dance with girls way older than her! That didn't scare you?"

"Why would that scare me? Maddie is doing exactly what I was when I was little! Even more so. She excels in gymnastics and dance, which is not a barbaric contact sport like the one you enrolled my son in! And Jason isn't either!"

"Maddie has already gotten hurt more times that I can count! And it hasn't crossed your mind even once that kids might make fun of Jason for being the youngest in class?"

"First of all, Maddie pulling muscles isn't an injury. If it is to football players then they obviously need a reality check. And Jason hasn't been getting bullied. I would know it, trust me."

"And how would you possibly know?" Tyler asked, sitting on their bed.

She was almost insulted. With a slight chuckle, she retorted, "How would I know? How wouldn't I? I know all the signs. Do you not fucking remember how I alm-"

"Yes, I do. Okay? It's just so unfair, Mackenzie. Jason and Maddie do whatever they want and you're okay with it. I was totally not okay with Jason moving two grades. One, I was iffy on it. But two terrified me. What if he fails? What if he's made fun of? Right now he might be fine, but what if when he gets to junior high? Or high school? They might tear him apart."

Mackenzie rested back on her feet and thought it over. His fears were very valid. She didn't admit it, but it scared her too. But they gave it a shot, and so far, Jason hadn't had any problems with other students at all.

All of their kids had been doing exceptionally well in everything they were doing. Matthew struggled the most in school, since he never wanted to do his schoolwork, but he did it. Maddie got straight A's. As much as she wanted to be an amazing gymnast and an even better dancer, she still loved school. She did all of her homework within the hour of getting off her bus, and she usually did some of it on the way home. It was easy for her, but nowhere near as easy for Jason. He reached all his baby milestones early, but all their kids did. Once in kindergarten, he was beyond learning the letters and numbers. That was when teachers wanted to move him. It wasn't until going into first grade that Mackenzie and Tyler decided to try it. He was finished with classwork ages before the students, and he got 100%s on all assessments and homework assignments. A month in they moved him up. When he got to third grade, they saw the same thing. He got moved up again, and he was now at the seemingly right level. He struggled a bit, but still got all A's.

Each child made the parents so proud in a different way. They were all so very different, but they had a bit of each Mackenzie and Tyler in them.

"They might, Tyler. It's a huge possibility. We'll deal with it when we get there, though, okay?"

Tyler nodded and stood up. He pulled Mackenzie closer, knowing he had her right where he wanted her. She would so say yes to him now.

"So, can we move Matthew up in football?"

She rolled her eyes, and painfully nodded her head.

"Fine. But if he gets hurt at all we're moving him back down," she warned him.

"Okay, fine," Tyler said, laughing a little at her stubbornness.

"Yes!" The two heard a cheer from outside their door. Tyler let go of Mackenzie when suddenly, Matt ran through the door and gave his mom a hug.

"What did I tell you about eavesdropping?" was all Mackenzie could say back.

"I know you said not to do it but I had to. I knew Dad could convince you! Yes!" The boy cheered as he ran out of the room.

What were they going to do with these kids?