Friday, September 09, 2011

My Little Realist


In anticipation of their first scrimmage games tomorrow, R's Junior PeeWee football team received their uniforms last night at practice. He & his Daddy came home and promptly decorated his previously plain white helmet with pride. (It was clearly a ceremonial guy thing I didn't quite get.)

R has had mixed reviews about the three 2 hour practices a week in the preseason. He and one other boy are considerably smaller than the other guys on the team (like 20 -30 pounds and a helmet's height smaller). R does not enjoy getting tackled, but last week when he (helped) tackle two different 3rd graders it seemed to redeem the whole experience for him.

My nerves about his football experience were put at ease when he climbed in my bed at 6 this morning and whispered excitedly, "Mom! Today is Fwiday. Tomowwow is my fiwst football game. I am inviting my whole class to come watch me play."
I managed a sleepy half-smile, then he added, "I know we get dog bone stickers on our helmet if we tackle someone. What kind of stickers do we get when we get tackled?"

Bless his little late bloomin' heart. :)

5 comments:

SuperSuz said...

Oh my goodness! He is the cutest thing to ever put on a Ga Bulldog uniform! He should come on over to Athens tomorrow and help out the "big" Dawgs. They could use him - his attitude and character and shear cuteness would win the game!

Mel said...

So sweet! My 3rd grader, D, is in his first year of "real" football. (We have flag football for 6-7 yr olds.) Like your son, mine is quite small compared to the rest of the team. At barely 50# he is going up against kids who are at least a football helmet taller than him and weigh up to twice his weight. But he loves it, loves practicing and is great at tackling - and holding on. haha!

Have fun at the big game tomorrow. Go R!

C R said...

haha, so precious...

Traci said...

Squeeze em and hug em all you can! That is so stinkin' cute. Happy first football weekend. If it makes you feel better- all the years of watching pee-wee football, I never saw an injury that wasn't completely healed up before the game was over. He'll do great!

HW said...

That is really just so sweet.

It is hard not to worry, I know. I think I mentioned before that my son played football for five years and had no injuries but minor scrapes,etc. He did however break a finger, requiring surgery and pins, while playing kickball at recess in 6th grade. You just never know.

As long as the injuries aren't too serious, the kids seem to look at them as medals of honor.