How a season can change you...

I've made no secret of my difficulty of getting into my son's first season of tackle football. I gave in and let him play a year earlier than I swore I would ever let him. He is typically one of the tallest boys in his grade, and in this league he is the youngest and next-to-smallest player on the field. He's playing with and against kids who have a good 25-30 pounds on his small 68-pound frame.

It has really had me on edge.

But, what really didn't help things was my disconnect with the other "football moms" on our team. From my first practice, I knew I'd have trouble meshing with this group. Typically, I have no trouble at all with that.

What I saw were parents that were entirely too into their children's sports activities and I felt like they were taking it all entirely too seriously. There were window sticker decals for the cars, t-shirts with your child's name on the back and the real thing that sent me over the edge--a HOMECOMING party with requests for gifts for our cheerleaders.

I just found it all silly considering this is a team of 3rd-5th graders. And, I openly mocked it on a regular basis to my husband.

Slowly, both my son and our family have gotten used to this different sport. The intensity, the multiple practices a week for longer periods of time than we've ever had practice before. My son has played t-ball, baseball, 5 seasons of soccer, basketball and now football, so it shocked me at how hard the transition has been really.

But, lately, I've felt like I'm finally starting to get it a little more. I've seen benefits that football has brought to my son. He's the youngest on the team, but has earned a lot of respect and even a little popularity with his teammates because he's actually been pretty darn tough. A huge kid will lay him out in practice and he pops back up again and again without complaining. This is a child who has really had trouble being too sensitive most of his life.

I've seen him realize what hard work means, how it feels to be on a winning and a losing team, and how you can really improve your own skills with hard work and practice--something that piano lessons just didn't seem to do for him (as I'd hoped it would).

Today, we had a game experience unlike one I have experienced in a great while. And, through it all, I think I've changed a little.

And...that, folks, is your teaser...come back for my next post where you will find out just what happened at our last game!