Sidebar: For the Love of the Game

I never thought I would like football as much as I do now.   When I was younger, I would try to get out of the room if anyone was watching sports.  My father was a diehard Saints fan and they were displayed on our television screen at every opportunity. Sometimes I would sit next to him and watch a game, but never fully understand why people liked this particular sport.  Don’t get me wrong, I did like basketball; what girl doesn’t?

I didn’t get into football until my eldest son became the starting quarterback his sophomore year of high school.  I figured, I better learn the game and understand the rules since I would be sitting on bleachers every Friday.  I really bought into the whole football thing.  I became that ‘football mother’ and have a genuine love for the game.  

Single Parenting: My Proudest Moment

Last month, my eldest son graduated from high school.  An unexplainable emotion came over me.    Hearing his name being called when he walked across the stage to receive his diploma was my proudest moment.  Even though he has won awards, been on television, played in a high school bowl game and was selected All –Metro quarterback, nothing compared to that moment. Right then, I knew I didn’t have a baby anymore and he completed phase one of his life’s journey.   

He was offered a full athletic scholarship to play football at a college in Arizona, which is a twenty-two hour drive away.  Yay, I get to clean his room, cook less food and keep my car parked with gas in it! However, I will miss him. He has been my protector and my “father-figure” when it came to men, overprotective at times.  I will not have that “strong male” in the house to cut the grass, take out the garbage and protect me from the gecko lizards. Yes, I am afraid of geckos; basically anything that moves! I will miss seeing and fussing with him, every day.