Friday is for Football

 Such is the life of a Football Mom.

You may not be in on the big play, but you feel the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat right along with your son. You keep your composure when some fan behind you wants your son’s head while the opponent on the field is smashing it into the grass. “Get off him, that’s my baby”, you’d like to shout!

You breathe football at this time of year - especially this time of year when your heart whispers, “just a little longer”, as the season slides by. You plead and bargain, knowing full well that some other mother on the opponent’s team is making her own deal with the almighty, but you do it anyway, because you no more want it to end than your son does. You do not want to see the desperation in his eyes and the pain on his face as he struggles to put away childhood dreams. You are helpless in the stands with no way to make it better.

Is it worth it?

You bet it is!!!

Every lost sock and busy Friday night; every recovering Saturday; every aspirin; every ruined hair do; hot bath; goose bumps; and every obnoxious fan and sportswriter you’ve had to tolerate is worth it. The fun isn’t measured by how many times your son gets into the newspaper, the game or what he does when he gets there. The fun – what makes those trips to the ER for the pigskin stitches all worthwhile – is watching a game, watching what a sporting experience can do to convert your little boy into a young man. Watching him tackle the word and you have a front row seat!

You still see that rambunctious 3-year-old playing football in the yard. You bite your lip and hold back the tears because though you are fiercely proud of the man, you miss the boy. In fact, you mourn for all the little boys. You have watched them grow up together, plot and scheme together, win and lose together. They have raided your kitchen, camped out in your basement, stole your heart. They are blessed with something they will never have again. They know it and you know it.

So you pray that wonder will last another game, and then another, because as long as it does, you hang on to a piece of your boy for a bit longer. Watching him walk off that field one last time will be no less painful than giving birth to him all those years ago.

Enjoy the season moms – you’re the best! And, hey guys – don’t forget to give mom a bigger hug this week as the season starts. There’s nobody in the stand cheering for you harder!