This weekend I dropped Elijah off at a friend's house, and the friend's dad and I had a relaxed, animated conversation in the driveway. Of course we were talking about sports, the lingua franca of manly men everywhere. Then I read this
great piece by King Kaufman about the intersection of sports and men's feelings. I guess I'm lucky to have more than sports as an emotional outlet. As a father, I am more emotionally open than my (beloved, loving) father ever was, but I still try to toughen Elijah up in ways that might strike
people as old-school, if only for his own survival in the world of boys. Certainly some of the payback I get as a parent is the chance to express my more tender feelings--being a father is a chance and a challenge to be my best self. And when the kids become surly adolescents and the Tar Heels still suck...well, I've got
insurance.
