Matthew Hall Playing Football For Madison Middle

Matt is pumped up about playing football for the Madison Middle Panthers. This is his first year of playing organized football. The grueling practices started this past week and caused him to feel sore muscles he didn't even know he had. In the summer he normally stays awake late in the evenings playing video games, but this past week he has hit the sack early every night.

On Friday he proudly brought home his team helmet. He carried it with him from room to room and put in on and took it off numerous times. I had to make sure that he didn't try to sleep with the helmet on. He was very excited to be a football player!

I thought this to be a good time to explain to him some of the benefits that playing on the football team will bring him. I told him of how football will help develop his discipline and responsibility, help him understand how to work together as a team and the synergy that brings, teach him the value of honorable competition, improve his physical and mental shape, and lastly, that the girls will be interested in him. I told him that the girls will all follow him around as he walks around school. They will want him to take them to dances. They will want to meet him at McDonald's. They will want to help him with his school work. They will want to sit beside him in the lunchroom. They will try to sit at the desk next to him in the classroom. After telling him all this, he had a puzzled and worried look on his face. After thinking about it for a few minutes, he asked me "Dad, if I just kind of ignore them, but in a nice way, do you think they'll leave me alone?" I told him that it probably wouldn't work and that this the one downside of playing football.

He may elect to remain on the football team, but we'll just have to wait and see.