Overheard the boys talking to each other right before they fell asleep tonight:
Jax: “Promise me you’ll stay in my room tonight, because when I go to college we won’t be able to share a room anymore.”
Oliver: “When are you going to college?”
Jax: “Probably not for a while. Don’t worry”
Oliver: “Will you stay there forever?”
Jax: “No I’ll come home sometimes; actually I’m not really sure how college works.”
Oliver: “Ohh man, I’m really going to miss you!”
Forever Best Friends
I’ve learned a lot this football season. I learned it’s not just about wins and losses. I learned a lot about myself, I’ve learned about other people and most importantly I’ve learned a lot about my son.
Jax is a better person than I am and ever will be and he is stronger than I think I ever could be. He’s faced challenges in his life (but he’s still only ten) and as a parent you always hope and pray that your children will develop the perseverance and courage that will help them later in life when they face real challenges.
Jax is a leader and I’m confident that he will continue to be one. Being an athlete and now a coach is what (I consider) my defining characteristic, but being a dad will always come first. Today, being a dad called for me to sit silently next to my son and allow him to teach me how to be strong.
I have enjoyed coaching both my boys throughout all sports during their athletic journey, but there is something special about coaching football. Ollie and I seem to do very well together as player and coach and this is now our third year in a row together in flag. Our town’s flag team has developed into a HUGE success and I have very much enjoyed helping a good friend grow the program through clinics, travel games and this year’s town tournaments.
Oliver has something very special when it comes to football; you can learn the plays and develop with good practice habits and with experiences comes better understanding, but the vision he possesses on the field is very advanced for his age and time playing. (Yes I know he’s seven and yes I know it’s just flag football, but it’s there and it’s very noticeable).
Throughout this blog you’ll read about “The Boop”. For referebcw when he was younger he couldn’t say “juke” (a move by a player running the ball where the runner cuts back hard and fast and makes the defender miss while then quickly cuts back up the field). Oliver, who couldn’t pronounce juke, would mistakenly call the move a “Boop” and so the “Ollie Boop” was born! Now if we can just harness ALL that OTHER energy he might just run through a brick wall!
Season Running Summary:
W: Black 6 – Green 14 (1-0)
What a way to start the G2/3 season! The “Ollie Boop” was back in action! A win and a score for Ollie! Guilford Green was awesome today! Love coaching this little animal!
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W: White 0 – Green 18 (2-0)
Another W For team GREEN. The boys pitched a shutout 18-0! Great group of kids! Oliver had the BOOP working today and almost took one to the house!
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W: Grey 12 – Green 24 (3-0)
The Packers dominated at Lambeau Field and Team Green dominated back in Guilford even without The Boop . The Packers moved to 1-1 and G-Green moved to 3-0!
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W: Black 6 – Green 12 (4-0)
Today was a very, very close game that was highlighted by tremendous defense and a team effort. We played almost the entire team at quarterback, passed the ball for big gains and pulled flags like our lives depended on it.
Oliver followed his blockers down the field and looked good as a receiver too. We look very good right now, highlighted by a bunch of boys who really like playing football and more importantly we have really grown into a team. I love watching them cheer for each other and celebrate each success together!
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W: Green – White (5-0)
“The Whistle Game”
A hard fought win for team Green today against a VERY good team White. Both teams played great defense, but when it came down to it, our defensive line (Ollie, Connor and Jakey) was just reeking havoc in the backfield making it almost impossible for team White to even get plays off! A few backfield tackles for Ollie highlighted by a Barry Sanders like run for a massive first down late in the second half iced the game for us and secured our fifth win in a row!
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L: Grey 24 – Green 13 (5-1)
Tough loss for Team Green today, but when you fall down, it’s about how fast you can get back up. Oliver had a boop for the ages… and threw a huge block to get his BFF in the end-zone, but in the end it’s about running the marathon, not a sprint and these boys have what it takes to bounce back.
We’ve seen them be the front runners for over a month… now everyone is going to have to deal with a team with a chip on its shoulder! (PS it’s also flag football, so they just had ice cream after the game and everyone was fine).
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W: Green 18 – White 6 (7-1)
I don’t care what the score is, Team White is a juggernaut. And other than a handful of big plays, they shut down our offense all game. You would think green and white would be a shootout… But not today. Today was two defenses battling back and forth that brought back memories of Reggie, White and Lawrence Taylor!!!
Oliver broke lose on the second play of the game for a massive run that set up the first touch down of the game and again later in the second half took us from our own goal line on a third and incredibly long to a first down on our opponents goal line, leading to another score. If it wasn’t for a phantom flag that fluttered off his waste after Booping ankles all over the field, he would have scored a touchdown late in the last few minutes to further put the game away.
Let’s go Green! Today’s win locked up the NUMBER ONE SEED in the playoffs!!!
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W: Green 18 – Gray 6 (8-1)
Another big game for Ollie and Team Green! Avenging our only loss only the season! 8-1 and on to the playoffs!!!
Coach Joe needed to head to another venue for some scouting for our playoff matchups (just kidding he had to go to his niece’s confirmation). I took on head coaching duties and did him proud. We played hard and kept Gray scoreless until the last minute of the game. Ollie looked good again running the ball and used his cut back skills to boop his way to the down the field!
On to the playoffs next week!
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PLAYOFFS: Round One
W: Green – Black (9-1)
Game One of the Playoffs was against a VERY, VERY GOOD BLACK TEAM! While we beat them them each time in the regular season they had a very well coached team who developed tremendously through the season (that is exactly the purpose of this program)! We fought hard and came away with a win. Everyone on the team contributed in this game and Oliver had two HUGE runs to get us first downs, one on fourth down and another on third and a million yards! His teammates stepped up for him and blocked hard!
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PLAYOFFS: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
W: Green 18 – White 13 (10-1)
The game of the year, heck the game of the century took place in the Championship Game… as it should! The two teams with the best record head to head for all the marbles, the Lombardi DeMayo Trophy, the Championship!
Team White simply outclassed and outplayed us in the first half and at one point we were down 13-0. Oliver and his team did everything they could to keep the game from getting away from us. They played great defense and only allowed two scores on two broken plays (I will take the blame for the second touchdown, sending our corner on an all out blitz allowing their QB to slip outside for a long score).
Heads were hanging at half time as the team had only trailed in one game all year. Enter the G5 Tackle Team Older Brothers. They gave a rousing “Any Given Sunday” speech and inspired Team Green to come out like a freight train! The defensive line stayed stout and did not give up a point in the second quarter (more impressively, Oliver did not jump offsides once!) Oliver gobbled up flags in the back field and continued to force Team White into punts. A newly installed Wishbone Motion Fullback Dive Right on the goal line to “The Pepperbush Beast” C.DeMayo put us up one point.
With less than two minutes remaining up by one point and on a fourth and a million yards to go, Coach DeMayo called on The Boop. It was now or never, it was like calling in Mariano Rivera for a six out save in the eight inning, like bringing in Reggie Miller for a game winner against the Knicks with Spike Lee starting him down. We needed a first down to put the game away and we needed The Boop… when you need The Boop… you get The Boop! Oliver took the hand off from the backfield broke a pair of ankles and outran four defenders to take the ball almost to the house. A first down and four fresh downs to put the game away!
After a QB Keeper put us up 5, Team White came storming back with less than a minute to go to cross mid field, two sacks by Oliver on consecutive plays put them in a desperate situation, but with one last play remaining, Team White took a hand off towards the left corner of the goal line, but it was Team Green’s defense standing on the field at the 1/2 yard line holding a RED FLAG high above their head with 0:00 remaining on the clock. In the voice of John Sterling, “Ball Game Over, Championship Game Over… TEAM GREEN WINS… TEEEEEEEAMMMMMMMMMMMMM GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNN WINS!”
What a season, what a team, what a program. I hated watching the boys on Team White lose, but it is with great sadness and desire to come back stronger, that creates players who are inspired to come back for more. It wasn’t just the winning and losing, it was the team work, the friendships, the skill development AND the winning and losing. That’s how you build a program… Watch out surrounding towns, because the G2/3 kids moving up to tackle next year are going to be more than ready for you!
Champions and Best Friends!!!
There are trips you plan, and then there are trips that have been living in you for years even before you ever pack a bag.
This one felt like the latter.
I had been to Lambeau Field before—twice, actually. Once with Stephanie which resulted in me catching Jordy Nelson in Lambeau Leap and once for a -19* playoff win, so I knew what it looked like, what it felt like, how it somehow manages to feel both massive and intimate at the same time. But I had never been there like this. Never with both of my boys. Never with the four of us together. Never as three Packers owners standing side by side, carrying a tradition we’ve talked about endlessly at home into the place where it actually lives.
After landing in Miwaukee on a quiet Friday night, we started the long drive across Wisconsin, the kind of drive where conversation fades in and out and everyone is half-tired but too excited to really sleep. Green Bay doesn’t announce itself loudly. There’s no sudden skyline, no dramatic entrance. Instead, it sneaks up on you. And then, in the distance, you see it—a small glow against the dark sky. Easy to miss if you didn’t know what you were looking for.
But we knew.
That tiny illuminated speck grew with every mile. Slowly at first. Then unmistakably. Until finally, there it was—Lambeau Field, rising out of a sleepy town like a cathedral, glowing against the night as if it had always been there and always would be. I’ve seen it before, but seeing it through the windshield with my family beside me made it land differently. Heavier. Fuller.
We couldn’t go to bed, not even after a long flight and a three hour drive… That night we found ourselves right inside Lambeau for some food and a walk around the atrium where so many of my football memories live. It wasn’t the focus of the trip, but it added to the feeling that this place isn’t just about Sundays. It’s about moments. Shared ones.
Inside the stadium, everything felt amplified. We took the tour. We walked the halls. Later in the trip we would step onto the field and stand beneath the goalposts, trying to fully process the fact that we were standing where legends stood. In the Hall of Fame, the Lombardi Trophies gleamed behind glass, and for a moment the boys were quiet. Not because they were bored—but because they were registering something bigger than themselves.
Meeting former players throughout the weekend felt like touching history. Dan Majkowski. Brady Poppinga. James Lofton. Jerry Kramer—a Hall of Famer whose name still carries weight the second it’s spoken. Watching him talk to Jax about how to avoid a block and footwork and then allowing him, as the oldest, (because according to Jerry, “the oldest has the most responsibility”), to wear his Super Bowl Ring had me covered in goosebumps. Watching my boys meet them, shake their hands, listen to their stories, felt like watching football generations overlap in real time.
And then there was Oliver, standing with Super Bowl champion Ryan Grant, getting a lesson in running back technique. No crowd. No pressure. Just a former Packer passing down knowledge to a kid who dreams in green and gold. That’s the kind of moment you don’t fully understand while it’s happening—but you know it will matter forever.
Game day came fast.
We spent the morning in Titletown, the boys running around with that restless energy only kids can have when something big is coming. We tossed a football back and forth, the boys throwing passes to Steph (who believe it or not throws a pretty tight spiral) while Lambeau towered over us in the background. That image—casual, unscripted, perfect—might be my favorite memory of the whole trip. No tickets scanned. No crowd noise yet. Just us, a football, and the stadium looming quietly behind it all.
Tailgating together felt like something we had been rehearsing for years. Food, laughter, green and gold everywhere. Conversations with strangers that didn’t feel like strangers at all because when you’re there, wearing those colors, you’re already connected. The boys took it all in, wide-eyed, absorbing not just the spectacle but the sense of belonging.
The game itself had its own unexpected twist. With Jordan Love injured, Malik Willis stepped in and did what Packers quarterbacks have always been asked to do—win. Watching him guide the team to a win felt symbolic, especially with my boys beside me… waiving the Yellow G Flag in support. Football, like life, doesn’t always go according to plan. But preparation, belief, and opportunity still matter. The end of the game came down to a defensive stop on fourth down to put the game away and just like that the four of us cheered like it was a Super Bowl win.
As we walked out of Lambeau that day, tired and happy and still buzzing from a HUGE WIN, I realized something simple but important. I’ve written a lot about the Packers. I’ve watched them for decades. I’ve passed that love down intentionally, sometimes obsessively. But this trip wasn’t about teaching my kids why the Packers matter.
It was about watching them feel it.
Seeing the place. Standing on the field. Meeting the players. Throwing a football in the shadow of Lambeau. Driving toward a glowing stadium on a quiet Wisconsin night and knowing exactly where we were headed… to the place where the Lombardi Trophy was born…. and while it might visit other cities… the Lombardi Trophy will always call Titletown home.
This wasn’t just my third trip to Green Bay.
It was our first—together.
And somehow, that made Lambeau feel brand new again.
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BTW… we are now all currently on the 44 year waitlist for Season Rickeys at Lambeau:
Go Pack Go!!!
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…PS When you can try to get in a Lambeau Leap… you do it!
A while back I stopped coaching Jax and while I missed it, he seemed to thrive with other coaches giving him feedback. I started to enjoy JUST being able to be a dad on the sideline again. Although I’m sure most parents would disagree… I was calmer being just a dad and not a coach-dad.
Then earlier this summer Jax asked if I would coach him again during this football season on the G5 (fifth grade) team. Tackle football is one of the toughest sports to play. The commitment, learning curve, physicality and effort it takes to be part of a tackle team is not for everyone. Jax and I talked through what coaching him again would mean and entail for both of us. This wasn’t just about learning football, it was about the trust between a father and his son. I knew he needed me and I knew from the look in his eyes when we spoke that I needed to consider it.
The problem is that’s not just something you can “join up” for. The tackle teams here in town are coached by a group of coaches that work hard and have been together for a while. However, coincidently, later this summer I’d receive a text from the team’s head coach asking if I’d be willing to join the coaching staff, and as they say, it was fate.
I’ve been locked in to coaching Oliver’s flag- football team the last three years and have really enjoyed helping the program grow. It is a lot of hard work and I had been committed to coaching Oliver, a commitment I would not abandon and I wasn’t sure that adding on coaching a second team that competes vs towns across the state in full pads and helmets was feasible for me. We would be talking six-to-seven days of week of coaching football between both teams…
…. Yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
SEASON RUNNING SUMMARY:
Pre Season Jamboree vs Madison, North Haven and Glastonbury:
2 Wins – 1 Loss
I had an absolute blast today coaching Jax in football for the first time along with 29 other kids who love to compete. Jax had a PHENOMENAL day… springing two touchdown runs with two pancake blocks at WR. He played a ton at middle linebacker a new position, but he just keeps learning! There are some big time players on this team! Every one of his teammates are phenomenal and I am so stoked to be coaching this team!
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Game 1: @ North Haven
L: 28-14 (0-1)
After a great training camp and a fantastic preseason jamboree, Jax was named team captain before the first game! To be named captain of any sports team is an honor and a privilege. Being a captain is about leadership, work ethic and respect. To be named a captain is the ultimate sign of respect from your teammates and coaches. I am so incredibly proud and humbled to be this guy’s dad AND coach!
Opening day was full of emotions for both of us. But to be coaching this football player and leader is an honor! Yes he was a captain, yes he retuned a kick for one yard (lol)… but more importantly, he is a teammate who has everyone’s back! I LOVE coaching this kid and I LOVE coaching this team! Big things coming for #G5
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Game 2 @ Pomperaug
L: 7-44 (0-2)
I hated Pomperaug when I was in school playing sports and I still hate them today! Jax did have a devastating hit on a kick off which resulted in an opposing player having to be helped off the field, but it was too little too late. We took a tough loss. The boys got hit hard, but they picked themselves up every play. That’s the mark of a champion.“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
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Game 3 @ Bristol:
W: 28-0 (1-2)
While our G5 team was taking care of business in Bristol, Jax and I were busy enjoying another win this weekend while in Green Bay watching the Packers beat the Colts at Lambeau Field! It was awesome getting updates via text from the coaches and other parents who wanted to keep us in the loop! The kids played well and represented Jax in the city where he was born to capture our first win on the season (also the Packers first win of the season too)!
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Game 4 vs. Monroe
L: 19-0 (1-3)
Facing an undefeated team who dismantled a team that blew us out a few weeks ago seemed a daunting task. Yet, my goal for this team and these games is not just about winning or losing, it is also about building character and character is built on the foundation of effort, perseverance and integrity.
These boys showed what it takes to make the character of a champion. Down 19-0 at halftime the team rallied around each other to not allow a point in the second half… to a team that was undefeated and no one had been able stop offensively all season. There are bad wins and there are good loses. We can take something positive from this loss… and continue to build character as the boys continue to grow and learn the game. I am very proud of this team.
Jax started the game at tight end (a position I’d love to see him get more looks at). We ran four straight plays down the throat of Monroe with Jax leading the way bulldozing the opposing linebacker and cornerback, highlighted by a block that he sustained for about 20 yards downfield until the whistle blew! He is starting to put things together and like many of the boys on this team, I feel like a full-on steam train is coming and once it gets going it’s going to be hard to stop!
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Game 5 @ Shelton
W: 24-0 (2-3)
What could better than getting on a bus for a road trip with your teammates for a game? (At 45 years old I can think of many things), but for a group of ten year olds you’d have thought they were in heaven! Very cool experience for the team and an opportunity for team bonding (and a lot of smelly people in a small area)!
The game started off slow with multiple turnovers by both teams and a huge touchdown run called back by a penalty that would have given us the early lead. However, G5 broke off huge chunk plays, (I thought Oliver was fast, but man can Hunter fly), recovered two fumbles and had an interception as well to highlight a very good defensive day. We even punted (and a good one at that) for the first time all season, and completed two big pass plays (Charney!!!!)
Jax played two new positions. For the first time all season he played at right tackle and middle linebacker, both very tough positions and be looked raw, but showed some potential at both. I was impressed with his ability to just go find someone to hit/suplex on the offensive line (at least it was before the whistle this time) and to find a gap and get into the backfield at MLB.
I hope he can get some more reps here in practice and before the season is over in games, because if we can harness the “JaxPlex” into a legal, aggressive style of play, I do think he’s going to be a very valuable piece to the team at these two new positions. Also, sprinkle in a few nice blocks as our best blocking wide receiver and add in a win and it was a very successful day for G5!
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Game 6 vs Cheshire
W: 19-36 (3-3)
We put together a dominate home victory over Cheshire by the score of 36-19 to even our season record at 3-3 with two regular season games remaining. The playoff push has begun.
At one point in the game we were up 30-6, but needed to pump the brakes a bit to ensure we did not go up more than that (league rules). But after some complaints by the other coaches and a few quick scores by Cheshire it was “all gas, no brakes.” The boys responded to playing multiple new positions during quick substitutions and played hard on every single play!
Jax played the most he has all season. He bulldozed some defenders off the offensive line and at one point was growling at defenders from his three point stance. Something his teammates got a kick out of. He was disruptive in the backfield from the middle linebacker position and also made his first tackle of the season.
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Game 7 vs Glastonbury
W: 30-6 (4-3)
Last year’s Glastonbury game came down to a last minute game winning pick six… this year we decided to make sure we didn’t need a score at the buzzer to win.
With playoff seeding on the line and a new offensive scheme coming together, the G5 Grizzlies had a statement game against a pretty good team. Glastonbury relies on teams to play undisciplined and hopes to eat the clock to prevent teams from running up the score.
With a defense that refused to fall for any tricky cadence, or hard counts and an offense that scored fast and often we took them out of their own game plan by the second quarter.
I was impressed with Jax at the middle linebacker spot again as we put in a new package that called for the MLB to creep to the line and blitz from his position. This play was called from the sideline and did not allow our linebackers much time to think about what to do. It called for discipline at the line of scrimmage to not jump offsides as they were about to rush the quarterback, all three of our middle linebackers (Oden, Jax and Theo) executed flawlessly and were able to get pressure on the QB, disrupt the play in the backfield and not be called for any neutral zone infractions.
Overall great game played and a great job by Jax being a leader, hyping up the team before the game and at halftime as well! I have enjoyed coaching him and watching him grow!
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Game 7 vs Newtown
L: 24-0 (4-4)
We ended the year with a tough loss to one of the best teams in the league. The really schemed well both offensively and defensively and we had little answer to anything they did.
At halftime the team looked downtrodden and had little life until a young man took the team on his back and gave a halftime speech for the ages. It was like Vince Lombardi and Al Pacino (from Any Given Sunday) wrote the speech in tandem for Jax to read. The team came to life and only let up 6 points in the entire second half and we sustained a few big drives. This gave us some life going into next week’s first round of the playoffs against… Newtown!
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Playoffs:
Round One: @ Newtown
L: 34-6
We held one of the best teams in the league to 12 points in the first half and we played without our starting quarterback/running back. In less than one week we installed a completely new offense and completely new defense. Talk about learning a lot in a very short period of time… our players took on the challenge and worked very hard to study their assignments. Players were playing brand new positions for the first time all season and for the first time in two years learned to play cover 2 zone defense. While those changes did not result in the outcome we wanted it showed our team has the ability to face challenges when faced with them.
At half time we, again we needed someone to step up and inspire our team to do more, we needed someone to put the team on their back…
Again, the same two players stepped up. Carter got the team up and going… and Jax finished the half time speech off like our team was going back out on the field for the second half of the Superbowl. I’ll take a LEADER over a follower all day long. Down by two touchdowns at halftime with heads hanging… this is the guy I want firing my team up! Fraggle is a winner in my book today and everyday.
Jax played on kick off and kick return and put a shoulder into someone when he had the chance, he led one of our longest runs the of the game with a seal block from the wide receiver position and he was able to get in on defense at the linebacker position. He wanted to play more, he wanted to get in with 58 seconds left, he did not want the game to end… he did not want the season to end. That is what this season was about. The desire to play, to improve and want to work hard everyday to better himself. That is what this year became. While our season ended in a loss (as it always does for all but one team in sports), the season was a success. Jackson learned that it is he alone who can control who he becomes. It is not a teammate, a coaching staff, or one coach. It is him alone.
I am beyond proud of what my son and my player did this season. I was not just a dad this season and I was not just a coach this season, I was both. Thank you Jackson and the entire G5 Team for inspiring me to be better this season too!
Seven years ago Steph and I put Jax on the bus for his first day of preschool and the first- first days have just keep on coming since then. “The Mayor” of his elementary school, as he was fondly known, is now walking through the doors into the world of middle school where the kids are bigger, the work is harder and the recess is shorter. Jackson’s First Day of Middle School is going to be an emotional one (probably more for mom and dad, and a little brother being left behind in elementary school).
Yet, Jax is ready. He’s always ready, he’s the bravest person I know and that’s the truth. There is literally nothing that I can imagine he couldn’t do. From school, to sports to programming the new electronic devices to work off our Alexa App, this kid is a genius. I know he’s set to conquer the world, but is it wrong that I AM NOT READY FOR THAT YET!!!
I am not ready for my NOT SO LITTLE, little man to have a locker and take the bus an hour before his little brother. I’m not ready for him to not need me to help him pack a lunch, or pick out his clothes… (who the hell and I kidding, he won’t do either of those things regardless). Except this time it’s a little different. Middle school feels older, like if you could look at the school as a symbol or growing into yourself and becoming more independent… middle school is the begging of that journey for our kids and in the case our first.
This summer Jax and I spent a lot of time together. With a new job much closer to home and me coaching him in football we have had the ability to do that. I hope in that time I’ve been able to let him know how how incredibly proud of him I am. I hope I did enough to remind him that it’s okay to make mistakes, because each mistake is a chance to learn and grow.
Then again, with more time spent together there’s always more time for frustration with each other. I think that’s fairly normal for a family. However, I hope when I was frustrated with him I haven’t ever quelled his curiosity, or made him him feel he can’t ask questions. I want him to never be afraid to seek help when he needs it and most importantly to help others when they need it as well.
There’s no kinder heart, no more resiliently strong and willed child than my… not so little guy… my middle schooler. Jax, You have always shown kindness, resilience, and a strong work ethic, and I know you’ll continue to shine in these new surroundings. Embrace the new friendships you’ll make, and always be yourself. While I love watching you grow, I wouldn’t mind these first- first days to slow down a bit.
PS: As the boys were falling asleep last night, Oliver whispered from the bottom bunk, “Jax I’m going to miss you being at school with me.”
September isn’t just for pumpkin spice and flannel, today is the day the Wizarding World Calendar reminds us it’s time to head back “homel. September 1 is day the Hogwarts students return for a new term by boarding the Hogwarts Express (or occasional a flying a Ford Anglia). As J.K. Rowling has said, “Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
(Maybe this year the typo would draw JK’s attention, then again, maybe not):
So in keeping with tradition, for the 10th year in a row I tweeted @jkrowling to get some advice for Steph and I as we “dropped the boys off” on Platform 9 3/4.
Every year September 1st rolls around, I tweet the same thing to JK Rowling “Dear @jk_rowling any advice for parents… #BackToHogwarts”.
Still no response or any advice from her, but maybe this year will be the year! If not Stephanie and I will have to hope to run into a nice Wizarding family to help us out… Molly? Arthur? Can you hear us…
Steph and I didn’t want to put pressure on our kids to read until they were ready, but I can tell you that we definitely did everything we could to get them ready. We’ve read to them since they were babies, but never pushed a formal program or system. As an elementary school principal and former primary grade (early literacy) teacher I know the importance of foundational reading skills; but, we sort of said, if they learn on their own, cool. If they take their time, also cool (caveat: I stressed at every milestone)!!!
I honestly didn’t expect much in terms of reading progress before kindergarten because or the pandemic thing. Oliver had learned his letters and some sound combinations in preschool, but nothing was really clicking right away (except how to hit a baseball a ton and how to juke out a defensive back with the football in his hand). Ollie loved reading with us, but he just wasn’t super interested in reading on his own for fun. The first months of kindergarten were the same.
Then he checked out a book on Aaron Judge. You know MVP, AL HOME RUN KING… that Aaron Judge? Oliver is a sports fanatic. He is IN LOVE WITH BASEBALL and IN LOVE WITH THE NEW YORK YANKEES. Like so many kids his age, Aaron Judge is his favorite. As soon as we read that book together… it all started coming together. He was starting to work his way through books . Don’t get me wrong he was reading Pokémon books, but this Aaron Judge book helped him turn the corner and led to more interest in short stories and even longer ones that were not focused on “Judgie” as Oliver calls him. By the second or third time through the book, he’d pretty much memorized it which lead to reading other books more fluently with more confidence.
Pretty soon he was picking up books like Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie and begging to start the Harry Potter series with Jax and I. However, each night since he first picked up Baseball Superstar’s: Aaron Judge, he has become a Superstar himself… a Superstar Reader.
Thanks “Judgie” for inspiring my little slugger to read!!!
“Shoulder Elbow”
Noun: Armpit
“Dad if you put your hand under your shoulder elbow, can you make a fart noise?!?? I can, watch this!!!”
Credit: Oliver 2024
“Foot Thumb”
Noun: Big Toe, Hallux
“Mom, I ran so hard in the game today that my Foot Thumb hurts. Can you get me some ice.”
Credit: Oliver 2024
Sorry Sons: Chronicles of a New Dad 