Go Vikings!
I was surprised to realize this morning that Michael only has 4 football games left this season! I was never very thrilled with the prospect of my son playing football- I hoped he would choose a sport with less contact. He’s so tiny (and if he takes after his Daddy he will stay that way until college) I figured football would be the sport he’d be least likely to excel in. After soccer last season my worries solidified when he struggled with the aggressiveness of the sport and never forced himself to take the ball from another player. I thought his excitement for football came only from watching it on television and that his season of flag football might be disappointing or frustrating.
Turns out I was wrong on all accounts. I’m not sure what his problem with aggressiveness was in soccer, but he doesn’t have any of that issue during football. In fact, we often have to remind him that this is flag football–he can’t tackle another player! When an opposing player gets past Michael, he tends to forget the rules and will do whatever it takes to stop his man. 
He is the littlest player on his team, but he makes up for it in heart and determination. He tells me, “Coach says I am the best blocker!”
He doesn’t play quarterback or running back often, as that usually falls to the older returning players who understand the goals of the game more than the 5 year olds. His coach is good about giving all the players a turn at least once during the game though. During the first weeks as running back he understood that he shouldn’t let opponents get his flag, but gaining yardage was confusing. He most often ran the wrong direction trying to avoid the line of opposing players running his direction. Quarterback is another position he enjoys. He loves yelling, “Down, set, HIKE!”
