When Will There Be Another Peanut-Free Night?

For the first time since I started this blog, I get to write about something that combines all three of my passions: my kids, food and sports!  And it's all thanks to a very special support group called NC FACES (Food Allergic Children Excelling Safely).  This past Sunday night, the "volunteer support group that provides a social and emotional support network for families dealing with food allergies in the RTP area of North Carolina" organized a night out at the ballgame.

My wife and I had recently been discussing our realization that our younger daughter would not only never get to eat Chinese food because of her peanut allergies, but that she'd also never get to smell the fresh cut grass at a baseball game because of the abundance of peanut shells littering the pavement.  Then my wife learned about NC FACES from a co-worker of hers.  Ironically, they had just planned a Peanut-Free night at the Durham Bulls game!  Our little girl was going to get to see her first baseball game thanks to this wonderful collection of people.

Peanut-Free Signs All Around the Porch Area

The weather this past weekend was pretty crappy so for a while I didn't think the game would even happen.  Throughout the day, there were random passing downpours, but as game time approached, the clouds parted partially and some sun broke through.  Game on!  NC FACES had secured the porch area down the left field line and put up Peanut-Free signs everywhere.  The area had been cleaned thoroughly with not a shell to be found anywhere.  We were all given special stickers to show our support for the cause, and they even put out nutritional and ingredient info on the ballpark food so parents could be sure they would purchase safely for their kids.

The Famous Durham Bull and Blue Monster

We took in the sights and sounds, we eat hot dogs and nachos, we stretched during the seventh inning  and we cheered on the Bulls.  My daughter even got a tour behind the Blue Monster over which the famous bull from Bull Durham sits.  It's true, she cared much more about what was happening off the field than on, but it was a truly special night for all of us, especially for her.  It was a night that left her asking "When will there be another peanut-free night?"

So a special thanks to NC FACES for providing my daughter with an opportunity to feel like every other kid out there!  We are excited to be new members of this terrific group.

Do You Understand the Importance of "The Bond"?

With the 2013 baseball season underway, this seemed like the perfect topic for my next post.  Now before all the Yankee haters out there click away...or start posting negative comments...or even remark on the Yankees "wonderful" start to this season...let me start by saying that this post is NOT about being a Yankees fan.  And it's NOT about being a Red Sox or Mets hater.  It's also not about battling with my wife (although it might seem like it shortly).  Here's what it IS about...The Bond.  It's a fanatical sports bond between a parent and a child.  A connection built on an extreme, devoted, almost obsessive love for the SAME favorite sports team.

If you had it with your parent, you know what I'm talking about.  If you have it with your child, you understand what it feels like.  You know that special, indescribable feeling of seeing your child wearing the team colors, cheering for your favorite players, and yes, even booing the hated rival.  I hesitate to say it, but I don't think there is anything else on this planet that can bring a parent and child closer together than The Bond.

That's me!

As a kid, I shared that The Bond with my dad, just as he did with his dad.  We were Yankees fans through and through.  My dad and I didn't have the tightest relationship when I was young, but sitting next to him at a Yankee game was more magical than a thousand Disney Worlds.  Wearing the same pinstripes, donning the NY navy blue cap, and cheering at the top of our lungs as the Bombers took the field, I knew my place in my dad's heart, and he in mine.  There was no greater feeling, period.

It is because of those feelings and the unforgettable attachment they created, that from the moment my first daughter was born, I anxiously awaited the day where I could sit next to her, watch a Yankees game and high five her when yet another Yankee legend hit a blast deep into the Bronx night.  When I could form another fanatical sports bond that runs generations deep.  A bond that is tied together by Joe DiMaggio,  Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter and future Yankee legends.

Exhibit A

So I ask "Do you understand the importance of The Bond?"  Unfortunately, if you never had The Bond with your parent, and you don't have The Bond with your child, sadly you will answer "No".  To you, it's just a team.  It's just a jersey.  It's just some players.  And it's just a rival.  There's no emotion behind it, and there's certainly no bond to be had.  And that's fine for you.  You can cheer for your team.  And you can boo the enemy.  And heck, you might even cross over to the dark side once in a while for a World Series ticket (see exhibit A).  But, and here is the moral of this entire post, don't deprive the ones you love of The Bond.  Recognize, even if you can't understand it, that it exists, it is real, and that it matters to some.  So keep cheering for your team, but step aside and let generations of this fanatical sports bond live on!

I want to hear from you.  If you've felt The Bond, share a story of one of your memories in the comments box below.