On a night where the #2 seeded Cavs demolished the #1 seeded Celtics by 44 in a Celtics home game, the one word I can conjure is whoa. That level of dominance is straight up inspiring. Tomorrow is the championship game for one of my three boys and the end of season tourney for another. I have high hopes for both but expectations for the other. I expect the tackle team to be the Cavs in this scenario and I expect them to do it in a hurry. This has been a wonderful season for all three of my boys, but with two remaining in championship contention, the hope falls to the mid kid. He has a team around him. That absolutely matters.
The future of sports with my kids is fairly bleak. One out of three seemingly quit the sports racket–at least the football side of it. The other two are interested still. Now the problem on top of the problem is paying for everything. As a single dad with a checked out ex, all falls to me. I’m doing what I can so far, but it is not going to last. My wallet cannot take it. If we were working in tandem to get things handled, we could do so much more for our kids. Of course, if we were working in tandem we wouldn’t be divorced in the first place.
I’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a dad from being a coach. There is a clearly defined difference between the two, but there are in fact major similarities–especially in regards to setting standards and setting an example. Both are areas in which I’ve struggled over the years. I continue to strive to be the best version of myself off the field and on it. I expect my kids to do the same thing, regardless of age level, because it is about establishing what matters to you–in that moment, in that day, in your life. I want my kids to grow into men who aren’t ambling, aimless automatons with no real thirst for anything that isn’t shoved in their faces. I want them to grow a backbone, stand up to adversity, make real choices, and stick by their choices so long as they continue to believe in what they chose. These are the lessons I see happening on the field and off. This is the pathway to better men.