Man up

Tonight was our first football practice. Because of that, I told the boys they should sleep in this morning -- that there would be no TV -- and eat a good breakfast before camp. My youngest was unhappy with the no TV idea and pitched a fit – he would have “run away” if I hadn’t stopped him from going out the door. Other than that, the morning was smooth without TV.

After camp, they ate a healthy snack and then got their equipment ready. Then they went out to play kickball in the back yard.

When I told them it was time to go, they did not argue or procrastinate. They filled their own water bottles.

There were some nerves and uncertainty, since they had missed the first night of practice because they’re wrapping up their summer baseball season, but I pointed them both in the right directions and propelled them forward.

I wound up staying for the first hour of practice, mainly because there were so many other moms I hadn’t seen in a while. (Most of my social life revolves around my kids' sports). My youngest was climbing a tree with the sibling club.

Then my youngest and I went to the supermarket, brought all the groceries home and put them away, and got back to practice about 10 minutes before it ended. More socializing ensued.

When The Bigs were done, they dropped their gear at my feet and went off to run around some more. My oldest told me he thought he’d work on his summer homework tonight (without mentioning how much he hates school and how stupid his homework is).

We got home at 8:15 after recapping the practice for the whole ride. One of our neighbors came over to visit for a bit (and my middle son demonstrated some of his new skills, like the right way to recover a fumble), but I had to send him home so that my boys could have showers and dinner. We ate in the living room and worked on a puzzle together. The boys cleaned their plates.

The TV was not on all day, until after dinner when I told the boys they could watch a movie in their room as soon as they put their laundry away, which they did without complaining or bargaining. (We recently hooked up a DVD player to a second-hand TV so they don’t have to watch movies in my room.) (Despite his good intentions, my oldest put the summer homework off again.) They chose The Polar Express.

They were out like lights within 15 minutes, in their own room!

I love football!