I have always enjoyed watching the superbowl. Check that, I have always enjoyed superbowl sunday. Despite the great games in the past few years, the games are mostly lame. I do, however, enjoy hanging out with my best friends, eating super awesome food and, while I hate to admit it, I like to watch the superbowl ads. Don’t tell anyone, because the stay at home parent just watching the Superbowl for the commercials is so cliche. This year was no exception, although the game has certainly changed.
This year, the kids were there. We had about ten adults and six kids over, meaning you couldn’t swing a dead chicken wing without knocking over a child (and then wiping off the wing sauce.) Instead of getting drunk, betting on every play, yelling at the screen and eating myself into a partial coma, this year I got drunk, broke up fights, stopped one-year-olds from eating chalk and falling off the couch, and ate myself into a partial coma. 
Having kids at any event changes the essential nature of the event, but it doesn’t mean that the event is no longer any fun.
Sure, the days of wet tee shirt contests and jello shots at our house are gone, but in its place something oddly alluring has sprouted: parenting. During the game I got to teach Malcolm. I taught him how to check raise before the flop during the annual pre-superbowl poker game. I taught him how to read the score off the TV screen. I told him sad the people of New Orleans have been and how happy this football game was going to make them. I taught him what “squares” were and how if the Colts didn’t throw that last interception he was going to win $40. Then, I had to tell him that when you gamble you lose money most of the time. I taught him that you get to eat whatever you want on Superbowl sunday, even if that means your dinner consists entirely of chocolate chip cookies. (Thanks for the awesome batch Diedre!)
If you offered me the chance to, for one day, be childless again, I am not sure what my answer would be. Of course, I like jello shots and wet tee shirt contests. I like to watch football games without any distractions and swearing loudly whenever anything truly exciting happens. I like talking to my friends about things other than new teeth, first steps and who’s kid hit who. Seeing Malcolm actually watching the game, though, was pretty cool. Answering his questions about what was going on made the game fun in a brand new way. I guess I’m actually glad we had kids there and I was able to share some experiences with Malcolm.
Oh wait, I’m not that guy. Give me a shot, a chair at the judging table and some chicken wings. Let someone else have fun with the kids.
Tags: football, gambling, kids can be annoying
Loading ...
February 8th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
That’s pretty much what our party looked like…a bunch of kids (ages 7 months to almost 5) running around, screaming, throwing toys…while the dad’s sat on the couch looking at one another and wondering what they had gotten themselves into.
February 13th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Hi Paul,
We loved your blog and included you in our blog article at: http://famplosion.blogspot.com/2010/02/brees-family-enjoying-life-together_13.html
February 14th, 2010 at 8:50 am
Thanks for the shout out! Cool website, I wish I knew about it yesterday, when I was looking all over for things to do with Malcolm.
See that people? I am now a famous writer, featured in an article! When I pretend not to know you in social situations, you’ll know why now…
February 16th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
Thanks Paul for saving Maddie from eating chalk. Although they both tend to eat anything they can…may it be three bean dip or just some sand, crayons etc. they dont seem to care. Thanks to you and Amy for being so relaxed while kids were causing havock! What a fun day.