Football

Well, I have to make this quick, but I couldn't resist the chance to tell you all about Jake's football experience thus far.

First things first, he has to wear a cup. You know... a cup... in the crotch area. Imagine my skinny little baby wearing a cup. Now, imagine my grown up husband shopping for a cup for Jake at Dick's. I mean, there are just so many crude jokes I can think of with this one sentence... a grown man in Dick's shopping for protective equipment for my son's package. I mean, really. It's quite funny... at least it is to immature adults like me. ;)

Anyway...

... Brad went and shopped and found a very nice set of compression underwear with a protective cup for Jake to wear. And, yes, I know that Jake will hate me when he's a teenager for writing about things like this. Brad brings home said cup and tells Jake that he needs to try it on. Jake is completely perplexed about why in the world he would need to wear this hard thing in his underpants for football. I can see that he's wondering what in the world we have signed him up for. So, we explain that this is to protect him from getting hurt if he were to get hit there, etc. Jake, in normal Jake-fashion, decides to test this out. He takes off running toward our dresser - wearing nothing more than his compression shorts and cup - and rams himself into it, crotch first. When he sees that it actually does work, he continues to try this. Repeatedly. Brad and I are laughing so very hard that neither of us can even stop him. We just keep laughing.

Once we got all that equipment taken care of, there was the mouthpiece to set. He couldn't believe that we would stick his mouthpiece in boiling water and then make him bite into it. I think he thought we were joking. But, he sucked it up and did it... despite some whining about it being too hot.

This all happened before his first practice.

That was the day that he came home, totally excited about football... telling me about how he loved to do his drills... and how he had told his coach that he believed in God. Then, came practice number two, where he came home with his pads. Equipment issues reign... Jake doesn't really like to wear a helmet. He says the pants are too hot. He loves his shoulder pads, though.

In true controlling-mother-who-is-overly-excited-about-her-son-playing-football fashion, we convince Jake to put his pads on and practice in the yard. I tackle Jake almost immediately, hitting him kind of hard... ramming him into the ground so that he'll be ready for a hit. He laughs. Brad scolds me for hitting his head on the ground so hard. Jake laughs. I explain that I want him to get hit hard when he is at home, so if he is going to cry or get upset, it will be here and not at practice.

It worked.

Tonight, they hit. He didn't do what we had practiced. He definitely needs to work on things. BUT.... BUT... he got hit. He gave some hits. There were no tears (at least not from hitting) - only from being tired and hating his helmet when practice was nearly over. All in all... a win. He wants to go back. He enjoys playing. He knows we support him. And, he's getting more confident. We are incredibly proud of our smallest kid on the team. :) Fingers crossed that he keeps enjoying this... bring on the fall! I am ready for football!