Step Father - Son Moment

Football is not the most important thing in life but it is the most fun thing to do outdoors with a bunch of men. George Halas

On February 9, 2012 my son Nick and I went to visit Mary Hardin Baylor University. The Cru Athletic program is one of the best in the nation. Check out the program here. By the grace of God they visited Nick at school and asked if he would come check out their school. Now I am bragging but Nick is a very huge (6'5 300lb), talented offensive lineman. He really is the real deal when it comes to dominating the line. He loves football and has a natural gift for understanding the game. His size will most likely make him the largest player on the Cru team next year or at least in the top 3-4 as a freshman. That makes him a coaches dream and a defensive players nightmare.

We had a great drive up and talk about the future and then spent 4-5 hours walking around meeting the coaches, students and players. It was a very strange experience to be treated as a big time recruit for Nick because although he is not a shy kid lacking self confidence, he is a thoughtful young man considering his future not his ego.

The best part of MHBU is they want him for his academics. He is a really smart young man that makes the grades and does the work. We talked about the engineering program and the path he needs to take. He is excited about his future and I am confident he will do great things.

For me it was a time to talk about his future as a man not just a college student. He will have amazing people around him to make the college side successful. I explained to him he is the first member of our family to be recruited, live in a dorm, receive tons of money for scholarships and get this type of opportunity. His mother and I took a much different route to college. I was honored to have mine paid for by the United States Coast Guard and my bride ran up a lot of college loans. (Thanks Dave Ramsey for helping us get out of all that! SHOUT OUT) We also finished college with kids and experienced the pain of divorce before we were 30. My goal with this trip was to talk about all the things he could do to continue to change our family tree.

The most important thing he can do right now is see every young woman he meets as either his future bride or someone else's. This puts into perspective the importance of honoring every woman and not crossing a line he would regret. I know that sounds old fashion but I can find hundreds of men and women that didn't wait until marriage to have sex that will say they wished they had and I have never met one that regretted waiting. That one fact can save you a heartache that will destroy lives and hearts for years.

This weekend he will spend time thinking, praying and considering his options. Then it looks like he will commit sometime next week. Stand by for super proud dad pictures!