My kid is a sports fanatic

Yes, at the age of 2 years and 3 months, my precious little Gabe is a raving lunatic about anything involving a ball and/or a helmet. Gloves are good too. Last weekend we bought him a t-ball helmet that fairly swallows his little head, and he hardly ever takes it off -- including to sleep! After spectating at a high school spring football game last night, the most common two words out of his mouth are "football helmet". A couple of the players were kind enough to let Gabe try on their helmets, only to have him throw absolute fits when he had to return them. My husband, Van, has been so conscientious about not pushing his own sports fantasies onto our child, but I think it's is crystal clear at this point that Gabe is a fanatic unto himself. What's really amazing is that he actually has some talent. Ok, I know you're thinking, "Of course you'd say that; he's your kid!" But I'm serious. He can lob a football like a bullet, and he's getting pretty good at catching one from short distances too -- as long as he remembers to make a "w" with his hands like daddy showed him. He can hit a whiffle ball across the yard and kick a soccer ball with an impressive degree of accuracy. After he finally finished throwing a fit in the car as we left the football game last night, he said, "I like play football." And his first words this morning were, "Where football sta-num go?" Having grown up with three fairly unathletic sisters -- with occasional exceptions in track, tennis and basketball -- this sports thing is a whole new experience for me. I wonder if it'll be this cute when he's a sweaty teenager dumping a grass- and mud-stained uniform on the laundry room floor for me to wash? Probably so.