Muffins with Mom – 3 Things the Super Bowl has taught me about parenting

Junior Football League Super Bowl Win

The Super Bowl is over, but there are still lessons to be learned from the game of football. In Super Bowl 49, The New England Patriots faced the Seattle Seahawks. In my house, it’s Mama going head to head with her teen son.

My son and I meet at the line of scrimmage – I’m ready with my list of demands for him and he is ready to explain why he can’t comply. Since football is one of my son’s passions we use this to discuss many life lessons. Sometimes he learns a lesson and sometimes I learn.

Here are three things I learned about parenting from the Super Bowl…

1.      Be nonreactive – sometimes it’s better not to react to s situation right away, rather than to over react cause yourself unnecessary stress. You may have seen it happen during a tense moment in a big game – one player is frustrate with an opponent and a shoving match begins. Being nonreactive could diffuse a situation such as this.

2.      There is no “I” in teamwork – this is a phrase I have heard often, but was reminded of it as I watched the Super Bowl. At the end of the game, each person on the winning team that was interviewed, mentioned that their win was a team effort. Sometimes as parent we forget that our kids are part of the team and depending on their age, it’s okay to include them in family decisions.

3.      It’s ok if I don’t know everything – after years of watching my boys play football, I still don’t understand all of positions and their role on the field. This same philosophy hold true with parenting, after doing this job for years, I am still learning.

A bonus parenting tip – it’s ok to do a celebration dance at the end of the game (for an accomplishment, achievement, etc.). One son’s high school graduation was an event that was cause for celebrating.

Are there any lessons you learned from watching a Super Bowl game, humorous or otherwise?