It was the first day of school for my kids today. Honestly, I’m at a loss. They drove me crazy all summer long and I couldn’t wait for them to go back, but here we are and when I saw them leave today it’s like my heart went with them. I’ve been thinking about them all day, wishing I were a fly on the wall so I could know that they’re having a great day, which they probably are. Therefore, I could totally relate to this article from Boston.com that reveals Tom Brady Sr., father of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Jr., went to counseling after his son left for college.
When Brady left his hometown of San Mateo, California for the University of Michigan, it was hard on dear dad. Tom Sr. wanted to see his son’s games and keep playing golf on Sundays. In fact --no surprise here -- Tommy Do-Right was such a cute little lad in high school that he wouldn’t stay out late on Saturdays so he and pops could golf. Tom Sr. told Boston.com, “I would go in to wake him up in the morning so we could go play. It was always the greatest joy for me that he wanted to play golf with me.”
Like a good dad, Tom Sr. kept his opinions to himself and let his son make his own decisions when it came to where he would go to college. He was definitely bummed about the miles between them, though.
“It literally broke my heart,” he said.
When his son left for college, Tom Sr. went to eight weeks of psychological counseling to deal with the separation. He and his wife still made it to most of Tom's games in Michigan, though, and they still do.
“Who’s my hero? Well, I think my dad’s my hero because he’s someone I look up to everyday,” said the quarterback, welling up in tears and pausing. And now I’m crying too.
I hope that my kids don’t go far away from me, but I also want them to see the world. If they go away, it’s going to be hard and I’ll definitely not do well with it. A little professional help might be nice. For now, we’ll just try to tackle elementary school; but I hope I raise them right and that they remember to call their mama every now and then. If they win five Super Bowls, that’ll be cool too. And now I’m crying again.