A Football Mom

Yup, that's me. A phrase that I truly thought would never describe me. I scream, I cheer, I tell the boys to "take someone down." But underneath it all, I'm still a mom.

I resisted. Oh how I resisted. I adamantly put my foot down. He would NOT play football until at least middle school - when he was bigger. When he was stronger.

But he loves the game. Even more so than his father. As a little one, he could spout off stats like nobody's business. He didn't even give that much attention to his school work.

Between the pleadings of him and his father, I caved.

I have always been of the opinion - don't make him play anything until he asks. And this was something he was begging for. Begging me. He really, really wanted to play.

His dad kept telling me that if I made him wait he wouldn't have the skills or talent to play. So I relented.

He loves the game. He loves everything about it. He lives for football season (this is the season that I go shopping!). Even in off-season, it's all he talks about.

Our game tonight was not a good one. We lost. Not surprisingly. I'm actually surprised the other team did as well as they did considering. The game started at 5:00 pm. In the 95 degree heat. What were they thinking. This constitutes cruelty in my book. How can you expect children to go out in this weather, with all their gear, to play a game? Even the spectators were miserable. And we didn't have 50 pounds (or whatever it is) of gear on, running up and down the field.

Our team is full of newbies who've never played before. So this was a particularly brutal game for them. They aren't used to it. Much less in the heat.

As the game wound down. Defeat was inevitable. Then IT happened.

A player was down. In the last play of the game. He didn't get up.

My eyes immediately started scanning the numbers on the back of the jerseys.

A sigh of relief. Man-Child was standing.

The boy still didn't get up. My heart went into my throat. Who was it?

The coaches from the other team began to run out on to the field. The boy still did not get up.

One of our coaches came running off the field - yelling for the boy's parents. My heart stood still.

Finally, both teams began to leave the field and yet, the boy was still down. We began to hear an ambulance wail in the background. I was terrified for the other mom.

The ambulance came and loaded the boy onto the vehicle. At this moment, no one still knows exactly what happened. We think [hope & pray] that it was just heat exhaustion. I'm sure we'll hear more later tonight or tomorrow.

I looked at my husband and said, "This is why moms' hate football."

So although he loves it. And I will cheer in the stands louder than anyone. The very thought of seeing my boy lying on the ground turns my stomach in such a way that I can't even begin to describe. Because I know, the outcome could be so much worse. And despite being a football mom I am still first, and foremost, a mom.