The Charlie Brown Football Parents

On an exceptionally hot day, the Jamboree shined down on us with play action and fun.

The sun—more July than August—caught us off guard. Sweating by noon, we cranked up the air and followed the impossibly calm voices of our British GPS guides until, upon arrival at Oak Street, a mutual thought spiraled through our heads like a Hail Mary pass. Where on earth will we park?

Swiveling our steering wheels abaft to manage parallel-parking jobs that even our dogs were skeptical of, we squeezed in, killed our engines, and proceeded to follow the football crew.

Helmets in hands, our boys walked beside us, their minds ablaze with thoughts less petty than our parking woes. It’s time to show the other teams what they’ve got and, when you’re a football player, there’s nothing worse than feeling as though what you’ve got may not be good enough.

How will I compete against this team…they seem huge? I’m still new at that position?—what if I screw it up? How can I live up to the undefeated record of last year? What if I miss a pass? a tackle? What if I disappoint my coach? myself?

As much as we’d like to put on a pair of shoulder pads and take the nasty hits for our kids, remember that this is the stuff that drives our boys to work harder, fight back, play with their hearts and, eventually, win the battle. It’s the stuff that makes them believe in themselves. When this happens, you can bet your latest raffle ticket that others will start to believe in them, too.
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At the gate our boys gelled immediately while, dutifully, we appeased them in separating. We are like the Charlie Brown parents: that is, we don’t exist. We don’t talk to our kids or their friends. We don’t talk to the friends of their friends. Instead, we offer a modest simper to our coaches. It is our single concession in exposing the secret.

Nonetheless, it doesn’t take long for us to be swallowed up in a crowd of jamboree jammers, ticket holders, and football friends. We small talked, paid our five bucks, hauled chairs, commiserated about the heat and, later, hovered around our child’s teams like groupies.

Surrounded by oranges, white game jerseys, watermelon wedges, green game jerseys, gallons of water, lawn chairs, grandparents, the smell of burgers, and adorable cheerleaders; we celebrated. It’s a Jamboree! Life is good.

Then game time began. We were suddenly jittery, back to our parenting selves, craning our necks to watch every play. In our minds, we sorted through the fears of our boys. They are positioned to fight and yet, somehow, our minds wandered back to the first time that they stepped onto the school bus, waving back to us with toothless grins. Where have the years gone? How did they get to be so tough? They’re only ten…

Our boys look like miniature adults yet, at the end of the day, they’re still kids. They just want to please us and make their coaches proud. It’s only a game, we think to ourselves. We know that football is a sport of ups and downs. We know that resilience is grounded on getting back up again. Yet still, we don’t want to watch them fall, see them hurt. Mostly, we don’t want them to feel disappointed because, even though we’re the Charlie Brown parents, we care deeply.

So… what really happened on the field?

The Raiders—as usual—came out on top. They scored a touchdown. Then another. One more. Incredible. We blossomed. There is something very safe and victorious about watching a football player cross the end zone. He has made it and his dreams seem to rain down on him like glitter. No one could bring him down and, better yet, the Defense wouldn’t allow it. When our boys failed to execute a play, we wilted. We cursed their defenders under our breath like sour barmen. We watched their dreams crumble at the seams of a stripped pigskin football. Alright, so that’s melodramatic. Want some specifics?

Let’s chat with the coaches and take a closer peek at individual teams…


COACHES CORNER
• Pee Wees

Despite the heat and all that was weighing down on them in proving themselves in playing a new division—found a way to pull it off and win. From the first huddle, they connected like an oiled machine. They made mistakes, but rose above them. Great plays were made and the coaches felt proud that the team did what they came out to do. They learned that sometimes you need to play as hard as you can and, when you do, good things happen. If they continue to work hard, they will have a successful year. Bring it on, Brattleboro!

• Junior Pee Wees

When it comes to coming together as a team, the Junior Pee Wees had it covered, also pulling out a few wins and maintaining a positive attitude beneath oppressive heat. Along the sidelines, the kids knew just when to take charge of their positions and followed directions remarkable well. The coaches offered reassurance when mistakes were made while celebrating their successes. Between touchdowns and tackles, there was certainly a lot to celebrate!

• Mighty Mites

The Mites played three games in ninety degree weather, the first of which was played against Grafton. To the Raiders, this was a warm-up for the next two. After the excitement wore off, they came alive while competing against Northboro-Southboro, involving all members of the offense. The success of this game carried over to the final match against the Boston Raiders. The Jamboree served as an excellent opportunity for first year players to exercise their budding talents. The Mites are well prepared for the upcoming season!

• Cheerleading

The cheerleaders, upon being asked about the highlights of their performance at the Jamboree, said this to me: “We scored three touchdowns!”

Now that’s what I call loyalty.

When they realized that I already knew about the boys and actually wanted to interview them, their faces lit up. “We completed our halftime cheer three times, once for parents and twice for the kids! We danced to ‘Rock That Body’ by the Black-Eyed Peas!” The spirit of the cheerleaders, even when they’re not cheering, is truly amazing. Girls….you rock!

To the Coaching Staff of the Millbury-Sutton Raiders Teams –

Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the boys and girls of our community. Your diligence and belief in our players certainly came through on the field. May you continue to inspire our children to not only win, but to play with a winning spirit:

• To work hard
• To believe in yourself
• To never give up

…and to continue to love the game of football. That’s just what Raiders do.