The Young and the Restless

The Art of Football

Maddox, bless his sweet little heart, has always chosen crafts and creative expression over sports. His sensitive side outweighs his competitive side, which isn't always a bad thing, but doesn't always fare well in competition. Maddox may not ever score the winning touchdown, but the email his teacher sent to me the other day was far better than that. She described the way Maddox is always so thoughtful, how he brought in oranges from our tree when she mentioned she loved fresh oranges. The way he brought in the Easter egg he had colored when she mentioned that egg salad sandwiches are her favorite part of Easter. His kind heart and generous nature make my heart swell.  The last time he played an organized sport was T-ball when he was four, and the thing he loved most about it was that he got to wear a uniform and get a trophy. We encouraged him to try a sport this season, I think it's a great way to learn new skills, work together as a team and get some exercise. His best friend from school, Tate, was doing football so he decided to give it a try. When I told him that I registered him, in true Maddox fashion the first thing he did was run to the playroom and came back with a detailed drawing of him playing football, gracefully leaping through the goal post to score a goal. Not only did it put a smile on my face, but I realized we really should go over the basics of the game before he started the season. Besides his initial disappointment that he was playing at a school field instead of a professional stadium, he had a great season with a great coach and a great group of boys. He didn't see much action during the game (except the time he intercepted the ball with his face, poor kid!), he was usually the center hiking the ball, but he didn't mind. No matter the outcome of the game he always had the same smile on his face. He truly lived the motto, "it doesn't matter if you win or lose, as long as you're having fun". I think we could all take a lesson from him. The coach discovered that he is really fast and towards the end of the season he was able to run the ball a little more. He definitely improved so much during the season (he no longer threw the ball with two hands) and I'm glad he had such a great experience. Proud of this boy for trying something new and always staying positive!