Sunday, December 7, 2008

Dad's Diary: First Football Game

By Scott
BabyBlogAddict.com

An outdoor football game with a three-year-old -- his first -- is kind of like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates reference: you never know what you're gonna get.

Our alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, was visiting Orlando to play the University of Central Florida right down the road from BBA headquarters. Jack and I have watched a lot of football through his first three years, so we thought the timing was right. I asked Jack if he wanted to go see the Golden Eagles play and he answered with an emphatic "yes!".

Perfect.

We parked a 20-minute walk from tailgating and the stadium, and Jack had it easy. A comfortable ride in the stroller to the Southern Miss alumni tailgating area left us a little winded, but Jack was just hitting his stride. He got a brownie, a button for his shirt and some shakers for the stands. His "Go Eagles" chants began there and continued into the stadium. As we walked to our seats with Jack riding on my shoulders and UCF fans filing by, he shook his shakers and continued loudly cheering for the Eagles. It was hilarious.

Once in our sun-drenched seats, Jack cheered and yelled some more. The UCF fans around us couldn't help but smile. He could have continued for hours, but we were exhausted. The game was less than entertaining (Southern Miss won 15-7), so we decided to leave at halftime. The 20-minute walk back to the car seemed longer this time, but Jack, enjoying another stroller ride, was an angel. We got back to the car and headed home. Jack was asleep in minutes.

His first football game was a success. And for a three-year-old, he was into it much more than I expected.

2 comments:

beth ewing said...

that gives me hope for next season. we have friends that have taken their kids since they were newborns and i guess they're used to it but i can't see a time when my son will be able to sit that long. but you've given me hope that next he might make it.

Kelly said...

I love it! I also graduated from Southern Miss! I have a two year old and the closest she came to see the Golden Eagles play is tailgating. But, you are giving me hope for next year! Have you seen the new boxes at the ROCK, they are SWEET!!