When you’re a sports fan, you kind of expect your kids to be sports fans too. You imagine yourself sitting on the couch watching the game alongside them. Personally, I lean towards college basketball and pro football, so I was hoping to root for the same college basketball teams or pull for our favorite NFL team on Sundays. With twins, my chances of having a sports fan in one of them should have been doubled. As a father of twin boys, I expected at least one would like to be an armchair quarterback with me. Nope. I turn on a game and they exit the room almost immediately. We’ve taken them to a basketball game -and they wanted to leave at half time. We took them to two baseball games. Same results. We’ve also played different sports over the years trying to get them into one sport or another: Baseball? They were bored. Basketball? Didn’t interest them. Football? Their mom won’t let them play, too dangerous. Soccer? Finally! We landed on one they love playing. Each season we play, I help coach so we make it a good father/son time. The bad news? Soccer on TV bores them. We tried watching, but my sons said, “it’s more exciting to play it than watch it.” Back to square one. – No sports buddy. So, instead, I try to get into what they’re into and find common interests where I can. This has lead me to know more about Minecraft than a grown man should know. Plus, I keep having to watch other people play video games on Youtube…something for which I think I’ll never understand the draw. So, while I don’t have a sports fan/tailgating partner (yet), my sons and I are close. You have to meet your kids in the middle sometimes. You find what they like, be with them. Go to a comic book convention instead of a football game. Go fishing instead of shooting hoops. The more time you spend with your kids, the closer your bond will become whether or not you’re doing the things you envisioned when they were born. Be a good dad no matter what. Connect with them. Get to know them and what they like. They’ll love you for it. The good news, though, is that they’re young. They have half of their childhood still to come. Maybe they’ll get interested in sports once they hit high school. A Dad can hope.
*Also published on FamiliesofMultiples.com
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