But, there are no pads

Football is done, does that mean we have a break?  Nope.  The kiddo is managing/analyzing basketball and the tall one?  He decide on rugby.  RUGBY.  For those of you who aren't familiar with rugby, let me simplify it for you down the the simplest level (which is about as much as I know) - it is football, BUT THERE ARE NO PADS.  I support my boys and their desire to go out and try new things, sometimes it opens doors that you never dreamed of, but this one?  Yup, the mom in me is freaking out a little bit.

For the past three days I have watched them leave for school at dawn wishing them a good day, reminding them that I love them (even though they might not love me right at that moment) and I ask the tall one to not get hurt.  I used to do that for football, I used to actually ask him to smush someone as my thought was, if he is the smusher maybe he wouldn't be smushed as much.  Leave me to my fantasy please.  Now?  Now I just ask him not to get smushed.  Yesterday was his first real pushy practice (my words) and his buddy got a cut below his eye.  On the first day.  Because the helmet?  Well, let's just say you are safer in a bike helmet.  I can't wait to see him on the field, but, at the same time, I am dreading the first time I see him on the field.

This all got me thinking.  Here I am worried about a sport with no pads yet, each day I send my boys out to the world and there are no pads for that.  Let me rephrase, there are no literal pads for that.  We prepare them with education, manners, love, discipline...all pads in their own way.  So while they will get banged up in life, bruised, cut, and maybe broken every once in a while, the pads we have equip them with will, hopefully, help them to get back up and go back at it.  Join the scrum again so to speak.  Here's to confronting life with no pads...and succeeding at life with the pads we have.  And to the tall one coming home intact from practice.

#25 all padded up)...
somehow, this no longer seems as dangerous