You can't choose your kids' passion

Kyle at center at Pittsburg HS Jamboree

I have avoided being much of a football fan for the past decade: too violent, lousy local teams and I didn't want my son to become a fan and play. I was hoping basketball or baseball would be his game.

For whatever reasons, mostly probably his size and he loves physical contact, his passion is football. At Berkeley High, mostly African-American kids play football (sports segregation has gotten much worse in the last 20 years, it seems) and Kyle's enthusiasm has taken the family by surprise.

However, I couldn't be more happy for him. He has done this on his own in an environment where his intellectual gifts are only minimally valued (he is the center, which is the leader of the offensive line, though).