Okay, Moms, Let's Compare...

• We begin each morning with a mission in mind, our to-do list in hand. A football team also has a mission and its coach certainly has his own to-do list, the game plan.
• While we are spurred into action with our alarm clock and a cup of coffee, they start off with the National Anthem and the opening kick-off. We have a sleepy family, they have a cheering crowd!
• A mom’s game lasts 16 to 18 hours. The football team only has to hold out 2 to 3 hours. We “play” seven games to their one, regardless of playing conditions.  

Where are the Zebras When We Need Them?

Although the actions look a little different, parents and football officials deal with the same infractions. A few examples: no illegal touching - no poking, wet willies, etc; no delaying the game – hogging the bathroom; no encroachment – no trespassing in your sister’s room; no sideline interference - no need for unsolicited parental support from the firstborn; no false starts  - no acting like they are starting on homework, but….  It certainly would be nice to have a crew managing the “game” at our house!

Moms on Defense...

In the same way we strive to shield our home, a defensive football team strives to protect its territory. To defend against the intruders, either at home or on the gridiron, the defense must be vigilant, well informed, astute, strong, and ready for unexpected assaults. Even when in a protective mode, moms and football players alike, have to control our aggression. Otherwise, we are likely to compound the problem with a penalty or an arrest! Gotta have self-discipline!

Family, Friends, and Church

We look to our “special teams” for the same reasons football teams do, to help us out when we get in a bind. We count on our close friends and family to get us going when we are having trouble getting started, to bail us out when stuck in tricky situations, or to make a good time even better. What would we do without them? The problem is we forget how much they mean to us until we need them. Just like with our special teams, the importance of the special teams in a football game is underrated. What we have to remember is their performance can be the deciding factor in the final score in life or in a scrimmage. They deserve much more recognition than they get!

Moms on Offense...

Grab your to-do list and hit the floor running! In your world, you must cleverly out-maneuver all kinds of obstacles to get to your goal. You know the ones I’m talking about: those oblivious little darlings with questionable hearing, computers with minds of their own, traffic jams, air ducts that inhale jewelry, husbands who “forget” where things go. For a football team they are the oblivious teammates also with questionable hearing (based on their butchery of the plays), two hundred pound defensive linemen, lightning-quick defensive backs, and players taking cheap shots to get ahead. Lucky for the football teams the officials are right there!

 What did I tell you? We live football!