Football has returned to our Empty Nest. I know the 2016/2017 football season officially started in August but we were out of town and then wedding stuff happened so we were a little late to the "game".
I was not worried at all about Brad keeping up with his teams though since he was willing and able to recite the scores of most games that have taken place in the last 25 years. No joke. He can even describe certain "momentous" plays but yet has trouble remembering where he left his glasses (thankfully he has 3 back up pairs).
He and I have discussed this "talent" of his and he has told me he only can hope that he has passed this trait to Lane and Drew.
Speaking of Lane and Drew. Brad misses them all the time but definitely during football season. And so do I especially during football season.
There is no way I am as much fun as them, considering I am usually reading a book while he is watching the games. But I get credit cause I am sitting next to him. And when he yells I yell.
A couple of years ago I developed a plan to make this football watching fun. If I was going to watch football ( being in the room counts as watching), I was going to get something out of it. Ever since, the boys left the nest, I started reading the highlights of sports on MSN.com and the newspaper (yes we still read the paper.) I do this so that I can add various and interesting facts on any given Saturday/Sunday. Brad started to become delirious though and thought that I was beginning to see the light!! Really?! Did he think I was doing this out of the goodness of my heart?
What I was beginning to realize, was that if I was going to spend so much of time doing something that was not in my top 100 things to do on the weekend, I should be rewarded. Handsomely rewarded.
So we (I) developed a game for me (us) to play. Brad asks me sport questions and if I get them correct I get a point and at the end of the season my points equal a present of some type. And if I give him some random fact or statistic (which there are millions every weekend) I get double points!
This way I feel like I am contributing to our weekend and he feels as though I am enjoying myself (which I sometimes am but I would never tell him so). We both realize that football season ends around my birthday so it is truly a win/win for us both.
Therefore the moral of the story is that Brad and I both can be easily manipulated. LOL
On a serious note though, one of the many things I have learned about being an Empty Nester is how important it is to do things (i.e. watching football) for your significant other that was previously done by your kids.
You never know you might learn how to truly enjoy it and maybe get a present too!!
Happy Empty Nesting and Go Gators!!
PS Brad is wearing jorts in the picture. Sorry boys.