Scary Moments

We went today to watch daughter Jamie play her football game. It was fun and exciting as usual....and they won. But there was a moment, as there have been several times in the past, when the game became scary rather than fun. The quarterback threw a beautiful pass to Jamie, and as she reached out to grab it, she got clobbered. She usually bounces back up but this time, she stayed down. It's eerie the hush that falls over the stands when a player stays lying on the field while the rest of her team is running back to the huddle. I stayed standing - I had jumped up to applaud what I thought was going to be an outstanding catch - with my eyes trained on my daughter as coaches ran out on the field to check her. The moments got longer and scarier when she didn't get up right away. My heart stayed in my throat while the coach leaned over her, assessing the problem. Eventually, she sat up, then stood and moved to the sidelines. I was able to breath again. The funny part is...she knows me. As soon as she could talk she asked one of her team-mates to locate me in the stands and make sure I was still sitting in my seat and wasn't sprinting out onto the field. I've learned however, to keep my cool. I've watched Jamie play sports for over 20 years...every season, year round....soccer, basketball, softball and now football....hundreds and maybe thousands of games. And I've learned that it's not cool for "mom" to run out until she knows for sure she's needed. I realized this when she was about 9, playing soccer and she got hit straight in the face with a kicked ball that knocked her right off her feet. I ran over and was greeted with an indignant "mooo-oom!!!" She actually had the ball mark on her face, but didn't want me to fuss ....she just didn't want to be embarrassed in front of her friends. So I stayed in my seat....Jamie went back into the game...and they won. The scariest part however, was later in the fourth quarter, when a girl from the other team went down, did not get up, and was carted away in an ambulance. I hope that's something I never see happening to my own daughter.