Tackling

I don't have any pictures from football practice last night, at least not of Darren. While the kids were doing their warm-ups last night, the coaches were busy checking over all their equipment, making sure they were all wearing everything properly and everything fit. At first I thought, well that's nice, they realize a lot of these parents might not know how to do that. And I was right, about half the kids needed adjusting. But ohhhh nnooo. They had bigger more important reasons. Today, the kids were going to tackle. Yes, TACKLE! Not the tackle dummy, like yesterday, but each other.

Zach realized it way before me, he recognized the drill. They split the kids in half and faced the two lines toward each other. Zach is getting excited and I hear him, "they're going to tackle, they're going to tackle." As all of this is soaking in, I realize Darren has positioned himself at the front of one of the lines, and I hear Zach, the excitement fading, "Oh, I hope he gets to hit first, and not get hit." Then the coach raises up the ball and says something and Darren shoots his arm up in the air, the coach smiles and hands him the ball. Zach - "Ohhh Darren."
The little eager beaver had just volunteered himself to get hit first! So I look at the kid across from him that is about to tackle my baby... He is huge! One of the kids returning from last years team that, by the way, won the league Superbowl last year. Zach's excitement has now turned to panic, "the first hit is SO important!" and he (along with all the other dads) is up and on his way to the field. Anyway, the inevitable happens, "down, set, hut" and Darren is on his back under the giant kid. He hops up, chunks the ball back to the coach, and gets in the next line rubbing his butt, but otherwise unscathed. Exhale. Thank GOD! When it was his turn to tackle, he was a little timid, but at least he wasn't afraid to initiate contact like some of the other boys. On a side note, I'm no longer mad at Zach for buying that chin strap for Darren's helmet on his way home from work. In fact, I'm happy he didn't "wait patiently for the league to issue him one."

After practice, Darren is filthy and he has a scratch on one of his forearms, but the biggest smile on his face. Turns out he still loves football, and he's proud of the scratch on his arm. When we got home, Zach put on his helmet and the two of them practiced tackling and getting tackled in the living room. I only wish they had done this before practice, for my sake at least.

This football thing, is wearing this mother out, but I realize my baby is a lot tougher than I give him credit for. And despite all the worry lines on my face, I'm truly enjoying the smiles that are permanently plastered on both my boys faces.

So no pictures of Darren as I was too busy worrying and cringing, but pictures of Kamryn on the sidelines before practice, and later sacked out in her bassinet. She wore herself out cheer leading I suppose.