So, it's September and Auburn is playing Mississippi State and I was enjoying watching both of them jump up and down yelling GO BABY GO! TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Dax had already been fond of his AU Jersey, his stuffed Aubie, his AU helmet and football, but now he was "beginning" to understand what all of it was for. It was a great day.
Fast forward to the present, October, by now, Auburn's lack luster season is getting annoying. The cheese dip doesn't taste as good and Dax is starting to act more like his mom when it comes to Football. Let me explain:
I love Auburn football. I've always been an Auburn fan along with my brother with parents who are Alabama fans (long story). I'm not the live for football, know all the stats and every player and position type and etc, but I had ALWAYS watched or listened to all the games, know the history pretty well, and get that euphoric feeling while visiting the campus, Toomer's Corner or attending home games. You'd think that Clint and I would be a match made in football heaven wouldn't you? Uh, wrong. After spending 12-13 football seasons with Clint I'm much less of a fan and enjoy the games less than I did before.
"But how could that be? Is it because he's one of those obnoxious rival fans?"- you ask.
Absolutely not, we're a lot alike when it comes to that sort of thing. He doesn't give a hoot about the rivalry and aside from lighthearted jokes here and there he doesn't banter w/ Tide fans. He just has a love for football.
"Well, then what's your problem?"
Lots of little things I guess, like for 1, I can get very nervous/serious and on the edge of my seat while watching the game with my heart racing when things go bad so I stay very quite except for touchdown time (of course!). While Clint, on the other hand - the whole game-, paces, claps his hands constantly (he's got some big hands and they make a really loud ear piercing clap) never is quite, he's either in constant TV pep talk or hollering angrily at the players, coaches, commentators, man cheerleaders - when things aren't so well. Watching the game with him/listening to all this makes me a nervous wreck. So, since we've married if we're watching the games at home, I have to do this little dance of watching in a separate room while at times walking back and forth between the rooms at Clint's calmer moments - if there are any. A lot of times I have to shut the door and even that doesn't help. I'm not dissing Clint, I'm really dissing myself. I'm just not the GUNG HO fan that most SEC fans are.
Then, of course, there is this need to watch every game on TV, listen to Paul Finbaum (sp) ever second we're in the car and hogging the computer visiting au.com, rivals or any other site that is in the know about stats, recruits, team news and etc. But the worst is planning our life around a game. i.e.
Me: "Clint, guess what Mom and Dad have offered to take us on a all expense paid trip to Brazil!!" Clint: "No way, do you know how many games will miss and I seriously doubt they pick up the games in Brazil."Or another example:
Me: "So we're finally getting married, YAY, I was thinking of a Fall wedding, what do you think?" Clint: "Only if we get married Mon-Fri. or on a Sunday. Don't forget Fall is football season..."
Okay, I'm exaggerating a little about the Brazil trip - a little but the "Can't get married on a Saturday in Fall" is totally true! So, it's kind of taken the fun out of football season for me. I still find myself giddy at times, but it's definitely become a "I can totally live without it" feeling.
So, there we were last Saturday watching Auburn get beat by LSU. Dax was constantly running to me wanting to do something else because he wasn't just bored out of his mind, he was a bit upset. Why wouldn't he be. Clint was upset at the game and was vocalizing this at the TV. Unknowingly he was in danger of breaking the father son football bond without realizing it. Once I brought it to his attention, he stopped of course and made more of an effort to "act" happy.
I know, I know, Dax is only 3 and he's got so much more growing and learning to do when it comes to appreciating football but if he's personality is anything like mine, which sad to say he already shows many signs that it is, all it's going to take is a couple of bad memories and he's done. Let's just hope it's w/ football and not with Auburn. I mean, there's always baseball and soccer. Though it really wouldn't bother me much if football didn't interest Dax it would, however, bother me if he becomes an Alabama fan. ha ha Just kidding, of course. But that would break Clint completely. Seriously. And I'd have to repaint his room too. That would be tragic. If you've seen his room, you'd agree. But, if he did go BAMA it might serve Clint right for being so fanatical.
Until then, we'll just have to cross our fingers for more weekends like this one:
