“Go to your room!” My daughter’s eyes got as big as saucers. “But Dad!” she tries again to get my attention above the volume of my screaming.

My wife is now moving nervously around the house cleaning and tidying up. It is her way of coping with her husband of 28 years. She has seen me like this before and is trying to do her best to role model for her daughter as to how to cope with “Dad” when he appears completely out of control and absolutely out of character.

My 14 year old daughter seems caught between being “frightened” or trying to be a voice of reason.

“Come on guys…come on guys!” I scream again. The ladies in my life peer incredulously as there is no one else in the house and they know the players on the TV cannot hear me.

My wife tries to console my daughter as the cell phone on the coffee table in front of me vibrates to signal a text message. I look up from the game and retrieve the message from my son who is at the game. He and I are “locked in” on the game and use modern technology to its fullest benefits. It is where father and son share the highs and lows of U of A / ASU football.

My wife takes my daughter aside and explains that yes, indeed, there appears to be completely insane behavior but that in reality, Dad only gets like this for really important games. In fact, fatherhood seems to have mellowed him tremendously. Reality is I haven’t been this loud in years. Prior to my son leaving for college, the two of us would commiserate and the level of frustration was calmed by sharing strategies of what each team should be doing.

My wife confides in my daughter, “Before you and your brother were born, it was even worse. There was a World Series game in ’86 that I couldn’t leave the room to go to the bathroom for fear of jinxing the rally the Mets had going.”

The game finally ends and the final text messages are exchanged with my son. My head finally clears from its U of A / ASU football fever stupor. The look on my wife and daughter’s faces tell the story.

“I’m sorry.” I try feebly to explain my completely irrational behavior during the past couple of hours. I go on trying to explain that this was a really important and exciting game. They both just stare back in relieved disbelief.

Once again, I try to explain the U of A / ASU football and its importance and that I promise not to behave like this again ….until next year.

Enjoy the Journey,
Bob

Bob Oro is a husband, parent, dentist and children’s advocate in Oro Valley.

Excerpt: “Enjoy the Journey” by Robert J. Oro