Where does YES take you? Yes makes me a football fan.

Part of an ongoing project called, "The Yes Project", where I resolve to say YES more to opportunities that come my way.  Click here to see the other posts.

 I detest football. I loathe it, and have spent every single Superbowl party in the kitchen trying to avoid talking about football. Mr. Boy has been dying to play football, even pointing out that he could play football in college, because he knows college is my weakness. I'll say yes to almost anything if it motivates Mr. Boy for college.  I have said, "No Football, I love your big beautiful brain too much."

During the summer Mr. Boy's former baseball coach called and said, "We are putting together a flag football team, come join us."  And I said, "No!"  even though it's the year of "Yes."   Here's the thing, Mr. Boy's baseball coach is persistent and wouldn't take no for an answer.  She knew Mr. Boy wanted to do it and that he would love it, and talked me into it. After all it's just flag football, it was only for 10 weeks, the coaches would be amazing, and "his brain will be safe, and you know, it's just for fun."  She said, "Just come to the parent meeting.... "   I went to the parent meeting and next thing you know I'm writing out a check and picking out his jersey number.  I caved, I said, "Yes."  but I still think she used a jedi mind trick on me.


I somehow thought Mr. Boy would hate flag football.   I didn't think Mr. Boy would be good at it and I didn't think he'd like the early morning practices.   I kind of figured, he'd do a season and decide, "Meh, it's not my sport."

Then during the first game, Mr. Boy intercepts the ball, runs the whole field and scores a game winning touchdown.  I knew at that moment, I was wrong. Mr. Boy was going to love flag football. I knew that flag football was the gateway drug to tackle football, and I just had begun a long battle of trying to keep him out of tackle football.  I declared at that moment, "This is fine, but NO TACKLE football EVER."

With every game, I felt my disdain for football starting to wane.  I learned the basics of the game and with every interception, every flag that was pulled, every touchdown by my beautiful boy I could hear a little voice in my head saying, "Oh, maybe just a little tackle football. Maybe just in high school.  Maybe some in college.  Maybe a football scholarship."

Mr. Boy, Zoey the Lion (Team Mascot) and AK

Mr. Boy was into watching every football game on TV, and the boys would break down each play.   Mr. Man confessed one night, that watching football with his son was something he had dreamed about when we were adopting Mr. Boy.   For him it was one of the joyous parts of fatherhood.   

Then there was the football coach... Coach Glenn who was kind, encouraging, commanded respect, but was calm and even tempered. He was encouraging and did wonders for Mr. Boys self esteem.  I would find myself in the middle of a fight with Mr. Boy, taking a deep breath and channeling the zen calmness of Coach Glenn.  

 I wished I'd channeled a little bit more of "Zen Coach Glenn" at this moment, but that is beside the point. 

Mr. Boy loved Flag Football this season and even though I was reluctant and even somewhat defiant in the beginning, it turned out to be something I loved too.  In the beginning I brought a stack of magazines and would hardly look up to watch the game, pretty soon, I started leaving the magazines in the car and found myself cheering on the sidelines. (and maybe yelling at a ref...just that one time)

This became an unintentional "Yes" project for me.  Instead of reminding myself that I am going to say, "Yes" to opportunities that come my way, I got talked into this one after saying no several times.  But this is exactly the reason I'm doing this project this year...  to learn and do all the things I would normally be missing out on, because "No" is the easy answer for me.  I'm so glad I said, "Yes" to Football.