Do You Boo?

I was sitting in front of the TV the other day watching the Red Sox. As always, I was spending a lot of time screaming at the screen. I'm convinced that when I'm gone one of the things my kids will remember is this picture burned in their brains of me in the summer sitting on the couch screaming at the Red Sox.

It's one of my favorite things to do, btw. In fact, my just a month after I started blogging I published a post called I ❤ the Red Sox. I got my love of the Sox from my grandfather. He was a fan. He was also owned his own business and had box seats to the Red Sox. He'd give the tickets out to clients of his business, but I sometimes got to go too. Such great seats, right behind first base.

Not only have I been to many games, but on our summer vacations back home my boys have too. They've met Wally, the mascot, and they've tried on a World Series ring. They've stood in a private box and looked up at the Jumbo-tron and read the message that the Red Sox welcomed them and their cousins to the game (by name). 

I live in the Midwest now {{sigh}}. Among the reasons I just can't adjust to life here (no ocean in the summer, no ski mountains in the winter) is the fact that I don't get all the Sox games on TV. No NESN here, I'm at the mercy of ESPN and the MLB network, both of which show me a game now and then, but not nearly enough for me. Whenever they do show a game though, I'm there on the couch, snack and drink by my side. 

Crunchy Peanut Butter Nutella Cups

So that's the love of Red Sox part of what I was doing on the couch that day. The yelling at the TV part? Well, I did say I'm a Bostonian, didn't I

There I was, sitting on the couch, wearing my Red Sox cap, watching a game, booing the Yankees, when College Boy walks by. "Mom!" I could literally hear the disapproval in his voice. Wow, but he learned that tone from me. "What?" I asked innocently. Not believably, mind you, but I was feigning innocence with everything I had. "We do not boo!" He was right. My rules. And he sounded exactly like me when he admonished me too.

I've never liked the idea of booing. When the boys were young we spent a lot of time watching the Red Sox and Patriots on TV, but most of the sports we watched were ones they participated in. They played on baseball teams, soccer teams and basketball teams. Although showing support for their teammates was encouraged, part of the sport really, booing the other team happened too. Not by my kids though, they weren't allowed. Not even if we were watching TV.

Because booing, of course, is a negative. There's so much positive in participating in local juvenile sports and in watching a favorite professional team with pride. But there were lessons learned too, about being a good sport. And wow, have I seen the opposite. There are bullies, both parents and kids, and poor sports, kids who taunt other kids, even coaches who cheat, don't let certain kids play. I was always careful picking my boys' teams, made sure the coaches' vision of sports at that level met with mine, that they had rules for their players that included good sportsmanship. But, of course, I could not pick the teams they played against.

As is a parent's right, and responsibility, there were discussions I had with my boys over and above those they had with their coaches. How they behaved on the field and on the bench, it all matters. And booing is, to me, the quintessential example of poor sportsmanship. You can root for your team, show support in any way you choose, without tearing down the other team. Positive, yes. Negative, no.

Easy, right?

Fast forward about 10 years and there I sat on my couch booing a Yankees home run. And being scolded by my kid. Who was right, dammit.

And you? Do you boo? 

Cruchy Peanut Butter Nutella Cups

                                                              ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe


Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour 
1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup nutella

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 24 mini muffin tins.
*Cream the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla and egg. Mix in the flour, oats and salt.
*Roll the dough into 24 balls and place in the muffin tins. Press in the center with the bottom of a wooden spoon to form a cup. Bake for 15 minutes.
*While the cups are baking, place the nutella into a plastic sandwich bag.
*Remove cups from the muffin tin, snip the corner of your plastic bag and fill each cup with nutella. Allow to cool completely.