As the new year starts and football season amps up with bowl games, the superbowl this weekend and other such great sporting events like this, I have been reflecting about what I have done to allow my girls to enjoy the sports that I like as well. Ever since that have been with us I have shared with them certain sports. For me, it is usually Football or Basketball. I would have them sit and watch the games with me and root on a certain team, even though at first they did not know what they were watching. Sometimes they were interested, other times, they could care less.
As they got older, I started to explain to them more about the rules of the games. Why certain things were happening, and why things were not happening. Why certain calls were made, while others were left alone (even though at times the call should definitely have been made). This was not easy and I found myself being challenged, as I did not always know all of the rules (I came to find). Thus, I had to do a lot of research, so that I was informing them about the right things. I didn’t want them calling a penalty when it really wasn’t now, did I?
Slowly, my girls began to appreciate the games more, and they would sit for longer periods of time watching the games with me. Now, they have come to appreciate the games that I like, but I now am seeing their interests burgeoning in other sport areas as well. Diva-J likes Tennis, while Diva-PJ likes Gymnastics (yes, even watching it on television). Yet, in saying this I can say that they do appreciate some of the sports that I have shared with them (score one for Dad!).
So as we get ready for the BIG Superbowl weekend, I intend to share it with my girls in any way that I can and have some fun with it along the way. Not only does it let me spend some quality time with the girls but it also lets me give them a gift for the future, a gift of knowing their father!
