Tanner Fillmore Football Star

When I signed up my 5-year old son to play football this year, I had no idea what to expect. Having no natural athletic talent myself, I just assumed my son would take after his dad and be naturally gifted. I could see him jumping high into the air to catch a pass, dodging his opponents in some amazing move, and sprinting down the field for countless touchdowns. Then I took him to practice the first day and I realized that he is 5... and so are his teammates. Nobody can catch a pass at this stage, though not all of them put their knee up and defensively karate chop the ball out of the air to avoid being hit like Tanner does. In addition to his awesome ball dodging skills, Tanner is awesome at looking for bugs, doing cartwheels, and jumping on top of the other boys!

Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it all, but then I see how excited Tanner gets on game day and how his face lights up when he tells everyone that he plays football, and I am happy to go to practices and games every week to watch a group of five year olds run around trying to rip each others flags off. Plus, it is extra funny trying to see their coach keep his patience when all 10 five and six year olds are sommersaulting all over the field!

Mouthguards are a must as flag football can be so rough!

Yes, that's my boy, in the middle of a game doing the worm in the middle of his teammates.