Mama McNabb - America's Favorite Sports Mom

Sports Role Models?

2008-04-23T09:35:00.005-07:00

Where have all the athlete role models gone? This seems to be the discussion in many articles across the country lately. Since the 2005 season, nine players from one NFL team were arrested. One player, killed in a drive-by shooting in downtown Denver after leaving a nightclub on New Year’s Eve…. Other players being questioned about triple shootings. Let’s not forget that there were over 400 arrests during the NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas.

Is “3 strikes and you’re out” the answer? Maybe, but I would like us to consider why we are having this problem in the first place. As we look around, the number of role models in professional sports has not diminished. They are still everywhere.

There are still many professional athletes that demonstrate greatness in values, incredible kindness and care. There are still professional athletes that are hard working and dedicated to thinking and acting in a manner that is considered a good example for others.vv Perhaps a better solution is to attack the issue at the root. Growing role model athletes takes nurturing from the beginning. As parents it is important to be there for our children. We need to take them to practice, not just send them to practice. We need to be there when they win… and when they lose. We should be the narrator of life’s lessons to be learned as they are so often played-out through sports.

When we are not there….someone or something else will be.

Season Ending

2008-04-23T09:35:00.001-07:00

When your season is over, you feel like you need to be doing something - something game related. We are usually still in the mode of dwelling on what we could have done better - or what should have been easier - instead of what we did well. It's a wonderful time to look ahead at what we can do next time to improve. Our children learn from us and there's great learning in having a conversation with them. When the season is over there is a void to fill. Make use of this time to reflect... and to set goals for the next season.

Cheers to the Superbowl Teams!

2008-04-23T09:34:00.007-07:00

As the President of a National organization called the Professional Football Players Mothers Association (PFPMA), I send cheers to the men on the field. We are the concerned moms who established ourselves 10 years ago to support the sons and their families in the transition from college football into the NFL and throughout their NFL career. We as moms are a very diverse group of women who include doctors, teachers, businesswomen, nurses and homemakers of every walk of life. PFPMA share a common bound - a love and concern for our sons and for all the young men who have chosen the NFL as a career. So I look forward to Super Bowl XLl as many sons I know will be playing and I send my cheers out to all the Moms too. GO TEAMS!

SPORTSMANSHIP

2008-04-23T09:34:00.005-07:00

As a sports mom, I think it’s my responsibility to be a good sport, and not embarrass my sons or my family with poor behavior. But sportsmanship goes beyond the field, and applies to all aspects of life, to people in all sorts of jobs. Acting professionally in the workplace, and being a cooperative co-worker is just like being a good teammate on a sports team. So even if I don’t agree with a ref’s call - or you don’t agree with your boss’s decision – I always try to be supportive and professional when I’m on the sidelines cheering on my son. I think it’s important to be a good sport in everyday life.

SACRIFICE

2008-04-23T09:34:00.003-07:00

As a sports mom, I get to experience the excitement of my sons’ achievements, but I also have to make sacrifices along the way. For example, with both of my sons participating in sports when they were in high school, the holidays had to take a back seat during their sports seasons. We had to schedule our Thanksgiving and Christmas plans around their practices and games. When Donovan was at Syracuse, they always played at home around Thanksgiving, so we would cook the food and take it with us to his dorm, then invite over the team to eat with us. With his NFL career, it’s similar. We figure out what time we’re going to eat Christmas dinner based on when he would get home from the game. This year the Eagles play on Christmas Day, but it’s an away game, so it’s going to be more challenging to sit down as a family and share in a holiday meal. So yes, there is some sacrifice involved, but as a sports mom, it’s a sacrifice I’m happy to make.

Accountability/Responsibility

2008-04-23T09:34:00.001-07:00

Accountability/responsibility are two fold. First, we are accountable for the things we do within our sphere of influence. Second, we are accountable to one another. No man is an island. We must show compassion for each other. Promote trust, teamwork and mutual reliance among the athletes. You are your brothers keepers.

Sports

2008-04-23T09:33:00.004-07:00

If you're going to play sports or participate as a spectator, you know that on any given day, anything can happen. There are so many wonderful aspects of ssports, but disappointments as well and one of those disappointments is the injury.

Dislocated shoulders, inflamed biceps, torn ligaments, turf toe whatever the injury each deserves the attention it commands. It is really important to remember:

Heed the advice of doctors
Do not rush back from the injury-listen to your body
Ask for a second (or even third) opinion if you feel you need it
Remember to keep your mind healthy while your body heals
Stay focused during rehab don't give up
When in doubt...call your mom

Surgery & Recovery

2008-04-23T09:33:00.003-07:00

This has been a difficult week. Injuries are something you can never do enough preparation for. Watching your son go through pain and not be able to take it for him is every parents nightmare. You are greatful and happy that the surgery was a success and now recovery is staring you in the face. And so...we take another deep breath. God doesn't close doors without opening a window and we've been here before. I know that with the support of all of you, we will make it through this time too. Wilma

Injuries

2008-04-23T09:33:00.001-07:00

As long as you play in the NFL there are going to be injuries. It happened so quickly. Not a hard hit or even a tackle… it happened on the sideline. He fell awkwardly and is now out for the season.

But the Thanksgiving season puts a spin on the situation for me. I am grateful it's just his knee. I still get to see his smile and his personality. I won’t stress out because he’s not on the field. Now I can cheer like a fan for the team and not worry about his runs, his passes, his touchdowns and my own heart.

So folks, I keep looking toward the continued blessings we have at Thanksgiving because the entire McNabb family is surely blessed. Don’t get me wrong, I love the game of football. I look forward to the schedule. Especially this weekend against the Colts. Marvin Harrison (from Philadelphia) has 3 buses going to Indy. It was sure to be lots of fun with Eagles fans and Marvin’s folks. Anyway, keep the faith folks, we are coming back better than ever. Wilma

Road Show

2008-04-23T09:32:00.002-07:00

My last week on 11/16/06 I was in Philadelphia for Moms on the Move with Linda Swain. Moms on the Move/HGTV-TV is a show that empowers moms. I prepared a diabetes-friendly meal. Will alert you to when it will air. I left there and was driven directly to Comcast Sports near Philadelphia. Interviewed with the host about howidodiabetes.com. Of course, you never get away without talking football any opportunity they get, they will ask about my son and his team. My last stop was at the Beverly Hill Middle School in Philly. The school emphasized that “The only marriage that must work for the sake of children is the marriage between home and school.” A philosophy I recommend. I spoke on “Lessons & Rewards,” of which Donovan was a recipient. Sports taught him many lessons & I rewarded him for the lessons he learned. But the treat for me was a song the students sang. I teared up a bit and wish to share it with you. “Let Them Be Little”.

“Let Them Be Little” by Lonestar

I can remember when you fit in the palm of my hand
Felt so good in it, no bigger than a minute
How it amazes me, you’re changing with every blink
Faster than a flower blooms they grow up all too soon

So let them be little ‘cause they’re only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle
Oh just let them be little

I’ve never felt so much in one little tender tough
I live for those kisses, prayers and your wishes
Now that you’re teaching me things only a child can see
Every night while we’re on our knees all I ask is please

Let them be little ‘cause they’re only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle
Oh just let them be little

So innocent, a precious soul, you turn around
It’s time to let them go

So let them be little ‘cause they’re only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle
Oh just let them be little

Let them be little
© 2004 Lonestar

Don't Forget Mothers

2008-04-23T09:32:00.001-07:00

Dont forget, Mothers -- worry shatters the peace of life. Faith puts things back together.