Uncharted

When I was growing up my dad and I were very close on a lot of things, but there were a few of my passions that held no interest to him. One of those passions was football and sports in general. He is a Kentucky Wildcats basketball fan but that doesn't count as a sports fan really. In my state the Court Cats qualify more as a religion that a sport. But of the sport that drove me the most (football) he was interested.

My oldest son also has some things in common with me most importantly a love for writing. He is an important part of my life, but he never was  and never will be a sports fan.

So it was with great joy when my youngest son became an ardent sports fan. He loves most all of the sports but we especially share the love of my three favorite teams. That would be the Miami Dolphins, the Reds, and, without saying, the Kentucky basketball Cats. We watch them every time we get both in front of our television and in person. (We have been to two Reds games and two Dolphin games in Miami).

But he is a senior now and going on eighteen years old and, as all fathers inventually do, I have lost my son. Now I do not mean we no longer communicate and on the outs. That is simply not the case. We have a good relationship and continue to talk sports. It is just that sharing his sports moments with his father is no longer at the top of his list.

Case in point. Tonight we have the Miami Dolphins on televison (a rare thing in Titan market). In years past this would have been a moment in our house, father and son sharing a bonding moment. Not tonight, though. He is off to a friends house and I am left here to watch the game alone.

This I know is just a beginning for me. He will move more and more away from my nest to make his own. It is a natural progression in the life of a man who so far has proven to be a good son. It is what he must do. It is what I must accept.

Knowing it is natural does not make it any easier.

Any thoughts from anyone?