Two Down, Ten to Go

While the summer is rapidly coming to a close, my son and I are racing towards the school season with great anticipation. After acing my first two graduate school classes and registering for the next round and watching Isaac rise to the challenge of making the JV football team and register for his high school this summer, our fall schedule is laid out before us in great detail. It is amazing how full a calendar can become in such a short amount of time.

Not that our world is totally consumed by football metaphors, but in our case, the title fits. Grad school for me consists of two classes per semester for six semesters (or 12 classes in all). Isaac has completed summer workouts and football camp with the Crimson Tide of Alabama and is rounding it all out with the last ten days of try-outs. Of course, completion of the last ten for both of us means the start of the next down.

This is not to say the first ten haven't been without their challenges. Sometimes you have to lose a few yards here and there to gain more later. The migration from Raleigh to Davidson has been just that for my son. Parting with his friends has not been an easy transition. We spent the first several weekends racing back and forth between cities to help maintain the ties that bond. Fortunately, as a result of his immersion in football, he has found new friends on the football field.

My challenges are more mundane. Scheduling, mapping the plays and making sure the players are fed seem to consume my hours (not to mention performing my day job activities). It never ceases to amaze me how my wife managed to do this for so many years and with two additional players. In acknowledgement of all she has done, the football team is hosting a Mom's Football 101 brunch and football game (note: there is no father's equivalent - there is no comparison for what a mom does).

All I know for certain is this fall will be like no other. The gridiron, freshman year, fall semester and life in general will provide an environment for our father son bond to continue to grow. There will always be a goal line and another touchdown to make. It's the plays in between that are what makes the game exciting. I am just happy we get to share the field.

- Ken