“Let’s Gooooooooo!” they yell, as they fling their bodies through the air in a massive chest-bump. Balls bounce, shoes squeak, nets swish. Sweaty-middle-school-boy-smell permeates the air, while colorful high-top sneakers pound out a rhythm against the hard floor.

This is my son’s favorite place to be on a rainy afternoon—or any afternoon, really—and today is no exception.

We meet his friends up here at least once a week. Some days it’s just them; today the courts are busy. A few kids their age shoot free-throws next to them, glancing longingly in their direction as they divide up their teams.

I see Eli notice them. He keeps looking at them and then back at his friends, trying to decide what to do…