“Adults Are Doing Football?”

We did not watch the Super Bowl™ last night. During your average playing of America’s football championship, Laurea and I escape for a dinner on the town with nobody around, marveling at how many people really love sports. Kina, who knows what sports are because her seven-year-old friend Julian plays all of them, finds them mildly amusing but also annoying, in that they prevent her from playing with her best friend—and Julian’s sister—Sloane, who has to tag along with her brother. The end result is that Kina is aware of sports and their effect on her life, but tries as much as possible to avoid them; this is also how her parents feel.

So, this morning, when we explained why Kina’s friend (and fully-grown Tampa resident) Des was so excited by the Super Bowl®, we also had to explain what the event was, why cities were involved, and that the whole thing was about football. Kina was stunned. Why would adults, with so many other options for what to do with their time, play sports? “That’s so silly!” said our perfect and intelligent daughter.

Will I sign her up for kids sports, in a wave of neurosis regarding her gross motor skills, one year from now? Probably. Will it make me enjoy football, hockey, or baseball any more than I do now? No, unless she is dressed in an enormous padded suit and staring idly at the sky while her opponents run straight past her—just like her parents learned to do when they were small.

dad