A winsome lesson

Now that Mo-Mann plays football he has a couple of coaches. He has been very attentive and energetic to their instruction, which is why so far this year he is the only kid on the team that hasn't run laps for goofing off in practice. Watching him out there give me a great sense of pride, we never expected him to be able to do these kinds of things with the medical issues we dealt with earlier in his short life.

Between plays at a practice not long ago, the coach pulled Mo aside and started giving my son direction. Up to that point, I or my father were the only men in his life who had done this with him. I wanted to know what was being said. I wanted to listen to what this man was telling my son without a blood relative being around. Now the coach is a good guy, I know it wasn't weird. It was him educating my son on flag football. I saw Mo looking at him real intently, nod his head up and down a couple of times, put his mouth piece back in and sprint to the huddle.

Not having any memory's of my past to relate to, I have a hard time with little things like this. I don't remember having coaches give me praise or getting in my face for a mistake. I don't remember a mentor from my youth. It makes it impossible to cue into those emotions and thus I am creating new ties with my son, through his eyes. I am always taken by surprise at the lack of relation I have to being a child.

Two boys at last practice burst into tears because they didn't catch a football on a routine play. They're five and six years old. Talk about pressure. The coach tried having Mo run with the ball and to keep away from the defense. he ran so far out of bounds he was interrupting other practices, he was very serious that no one would touch his flags and in turn made all the parents laugh at his dedication. Though not a much as when he hiked the ball and then turned around and ripped the running backs flags off. The coach just laughed and looked at my son and said, "Mo...well at least you squared up and grabbed both flags Mo. Next time do that when your on defense, not offense."

I have been helping out a practice too. Mostly with the defense. I don't have much of a clue what I am doing, but right now it's just fundamentals. Like Mo told me, "Daddy, when someone has the ball, you get that flag!" Substitute flag for, "Terrorist bastard that needs a hole in em' that God didn't make" and I can translate flag football defensive strategy.

Have Fun. I am.