My Football Problem

The Reason I Must Do Better

    I talk a lot on here about my victories, but today I am going to talk about a defeat.  Saturday, I did something that I was not proud of, and I want to come clean.
     My son Matthew had his first "real" football game Saturday morning.  Matthew loves playing football, but is young, small, and hasn't gotten the hang of the game yet.  Saturday morning, I did something that I said I never would do.  I acted like an idiot, and I am sorry.
     The league that my son plays in has a rule that all kids have to play eight minutes, but the team he plays for has 27 kids.  In a 32 minute game, it is hard to get 27 kids eight minutes.  Matthew didn't get his, and I got stupid.  After the game as I went to pick Matthew up, I made flippant comments to the coach about his playing time, and we ended up getting into an argument on the field.  I am ashamed of myself.
     A friend of mine and I were talking one time about why we yell and scream at football games, but not at church.  I am like that, I will more likely be sitting quietly with a tear in my eye than shouting.  He told me that with him, he felt like it was because when he was at games, he was in the flesh, and when he was at church, he was in the spirit.  I felt like that was a good explanation. 
     The problem is, I got WAY too much into the flesh Saturday morning, and as a result I lost a lot of respect from people, and myself.  As a Christian, I am supposed to try to be like Christ in everything that I do, and in this instance I didn't.  I am getting more and more mindful of my behavior, and my actions and how it reflects on my faith.  I get too much into the flesh at football games though.  That is something I have always had a problem with, so much so that I almost dread going to games.  If my kids aren't involved, I don't go. I have lost a lot of sleep over this, because I know better.  I tried calling his coach Saturday afternoon to apologize, but could not get him.  I am going to try again tomorrow at his practice face to face.   
     The thing is, Matthew didn't care that he didn't get his time in.  He didn't even know it.  It was Dad, and Dad got stupid.  Here's hoping that the coach will accept my apology and know that it will not happen again.  I don't want to be that kind of a parent.
     An update since I wrote this last night, his coach called and we had a long talk.  We are good.   That is a load off of my mind, but still no excuse.  I have to do better, and be a better role model for my kids.