Little League Football

I love pee-wee football! You all know I have four boys (and 8 girls, but that’s another story). We started the Gym Rat on a little league football team when he was around ten. He worked hard during tryouts and he made the A team. He was so excited to be on this elect team, even though he didn’t know any of the other boys.

We received a call from the coach later that night and he explained to us that our son would likely only receive his ten plays and no more per game but they were excited to have him learn with the best so he could be a better player the following year. We were flattered and agreed to the ten-play thing. And that’s what he got, exactly ten plays, no more and no less. He learned a lot that year and so did we. My best lesson was “NEVER sign up to be the team mom!”

His second year he made the B team and we were elated. With all his learning the previous year, we were sure that he would be amazing on the B team. We were not disappointed! He played the entire game, both offensive and defensive lines. That was the most fun we have ever had on the football field. We signed all the girls up to be cheerleaders, so it was a real family affair.


When his third year came around, the Gym Rat again made the A team. After a couple of days of practice, he told us he wanted to quit. He didn’t want to go back to playing just 10 plays per game and neither did we. After a couple of phone calls, we were able to get him moved to a B team, and even though he had the same coach, it was different. That was the last year he played. When the opportunity came to join the high school team, he told us he played football for fun and the high school team wasn’t fun.

Dog Walker

So we started on son #2. The Dog Walker HATED football from Day 1. He didn’t understand the game and he wasn’t happy. His first year was when he was 9 years old and he played until he was 17. He got progressively better and by his last year he was playing Center and loving it. We recently got an e-mail from his coach telling the Dog Walker that he was the best Center he ever coached. Yeah…he loved it.

So now we are at son #3. Sport is only 8 and he is playing the offensive line just like his brothers. He has a love/hate relationship with football. Today he loves it…his team won 33 – 6! On Thursday when it was cold and rainy, he was wishing he had chosen another sport (not that he really had a choice…my sweetie could hardly wait to sign him up!) Where else can we freeze our butts off while we watch our son beat up on a bunch of other little boys and enjoy it? Go Bingham!