@Nancy F

I appreciate all the feedback you've given me in the last couple of days.

I'm always been a very competitive and athletic person, so I fully understand how much one can get out of sports and athletics. But, having participated in many sports, I also realize a very similar sense of accomplishment can be had by really pushing oneself in any of them.

I don't know. The idea of wrestling to me at this point just seems like lunacy.

There is a tendency in our culture to be hard asses and to praise all this "can do", "never give up", "buck up", and "be tough" nonsense. We love to hear Lance Armstrong's story, but we don't want to hear about the countless other cancer victims that DIDN't recover. We think science and medicine must have the answer to everything. We ALL tend to have this exaggerated notion of the bodies resiliency. My mom's shoulder still hurts sometimes 10 years after she injured it. That's just the way it is sometimes.

Anyway, I think your son would be wise (and I say this from the perspective of someone who probably understands him all to well) to try and find the worthiness in such traits as caution, discretion, hesitation, and restraint. All totally under appreciated in my book! Fanfare for the common man, if you will.

I didn't ride a bike for about 5 years after my accident. I didn't consider it cowardly at all, but rather wise. And though I might get on one occasionally now, it's always with a helmet, and I never go faster than about 10 mph.

I think cross country is an excellent vehicle for letting out all that competitive spirit, particularly for someone who has had a concussion.

If that's not exciting enough for him, he could try the 400m and work those fast-twitch muscles some. In either case, as far as I know you don't hear about too many running related head injuries.

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. I'm sure as a mom it's tough, but maybe you could try and subtly steer him in that direction. Go out and rent Chariots of Fire maybe? Hee hee. I think there was a TV movie out recently about the first guy to break the 4 minute mile.