From the time he could talk, Evan aspired to be a “football guy.” In fact, the first time he dressed up for Halloween–as a toddler of barely two–he insisted on being a “foo’ba’guy,” and it took me a few tries to translate this term. It was my second year teaching at St. Anne’s, and I vividly remember dashing out after class to search for a toddler-sized football “uniform” on the day of our local elementary school’s Halloween carnival. His pride in this odd costume–made out of a foamy material resembling those neoprene laptop cases, and complete with foam helmet and enormous “padded” shoulders–was both visible and audible as he informed everyone at Red Hill of his new identity. In future years, Evan would ask for footballs as presents for every occasion (the photo above was taken when he was around four years old), and in middle school, predictably, he went out for the 7th/8th-grade team. His size was in his favor, as was his capacity to persevere, and after spending summers at conditioning classes with older players, Evan’s confidence and skills grew. As a sophomore this year, he played j.v. and also dressed for varsity home games, including the unbelievably gratifying state championship. Who knew that a Halloween costume would turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy? Now to see if Lily and Ben fulfill their destinies as gypsy and mad scientist….

No question about it–football isn’t my thing. I still remember with affection and amusement how elated Terry was when our first son Ben was born. While I recovered from the 33-hour labor, Terry took the baby in his arms and within the first hour of Ben’s life, paced and swayed with him in front of the birthing-room TV in their first moment of father-son football spectating. The tradition carries on, and I haven’t really been part of it, but having Evan playing has made it more interesting and important for me. Taking pictures of games has helped me visualize what’s going on out there, and it gives us something to look back on that’s more specific and memorable than the actual game for me (NOT for the guys, needless to say). Once again I’m grateful to my kids for expanding my boundaries.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Advertisement