Ty's Pop Warner football team made it to playoffs! Today was the final regular season game and at the end of it a bunch of boys picked up the giant orange gatorade container and tried to dump it on their coach. They weren't QUITE successful, but it was a great moment to watch- pure joy!
I am trying to be very excited for Ty. He LOVES playing tackle football and obviously the playoffs are what everyone is going for. But truthfully I have mixed feelings about it. It's just SUPER difficult to get Ty across town an hour and half before the game, and then there's the hour and a half game, and the fact that they are ALWAYS running behind (making it about a 5 hour event every Saturday, not to mention the travel time all over the largest US city, land-wise), when I've got Eli to contend with. I'm always either begging a ride for Ty, or finding a grandparent for Eli to stay with, or a grandparent to bring Eli just for the game so he's not running amok in the heat for hours on end, and if he's there I don't really get to see Ty play, so what's the point? Ugh, no matter how I work it out it all adds up to mom guilt, every. single. week.
I LOVE that Ty is having fun and a part of a team. I really like his coaches- they're firm with the boys, but they treat them respectfully. They are super personable with the parents. They don't yell very often. They're very straightforward. I DON'T love the mass chaos of this league or the seriousness of the coaches and the board- asking for volunteers to video other teams so they can watch film to prepare for games, telling parents not to post any videos of their kids' games on facebook or youtube until after the season ends (can't give away secrets, or something). I mean, these are kids. It's not college ball or NFL. Also? Apparently breast cancer awareness month is big with the pop warner kids. So much so, I bought Ty pink athletic socks tonight. And pink eye blacks. And pink shoelaces. The part that gets me? No profits from those purchases actually go to support breast cancer research or to help women with breast cancer. Again, this is not the NFL.
All of the things the league/team does that make me crazy aren't really the problem. They're just annoying. What bothers me is that every week I feel like a terrible parent because I can't meet my kids' needs. That makes me stressed and crabby, which you can imagine makes me an even more awesome parent. No.
I was looking forward to the end of the madness. And it's not ending. To be fair, this whole playoff thing is not a surprise. Ty's team is undefeated. I'm not even sure if any team has scored against them. Maybe one touchdown, I don't know. What I do know is now there is no plan. It's week by week (I think), if we win we keep playing. Ty informed me they could go ALL THE WAY TO DISNEY WORLD(!!!). Which would be more impressive if it wasn't 2 hours away, you know? And if the idea of Disney World with all of Eli's sensory issues didn't give me heart palpitations.
I do enjoy it for Ty, it just takes so much orchestrating and feeling indebted to people that by the time I'm at the game I'm no fun anymore. I'm just exhausted.
I'm sure this is exactly what the powers that be had in mind when they ruled that 6th graders would be ineligible to play middle school sports, right?
If you see Ty, please congratulate him! He's worked hard and improved a lot and he's got a great team. They have truly earned their playoff spot. I am really happy for Ty and his team. I'm just less than thrilled for me. It's not a great mix of emotions. :-/
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