Mixed Marriage

Having a marriage where there are mixed beliefs makes things a little harder. For some people that means sending your children to church for Christmas and temple for the high holidays which can be difficult to manage. In my family it means going to Wrigley Field to support the Cubs and Cellular One to cheer for the White Sox.

Being a fan of a team usually means going to games, wearing your team’s colors and keeping up on their stats. In my family it’s become a way of life. My husband, a life long Cubs fan, has always flaunted his red, white and blue proudly. My parents, season’s ticket holders, feel very strongly about their south side team.

For most toddlers having a mixed sport family is a non-issue, maybe a joke at best. My three-year old, however, is the biggest sport nut that has ever existed. While most children are watching their beloved Barney, Mickey Mouse or Sesame Street, Drew is watching Sportsnet.

Fortunately Drew has not realized that most Chicagoans choose a team to support. At this point he eagerly supports both. This does not give my husband or step dad any relief. Rather, they vigorously fight to win the sports affection of this little toddler. And in a true manipulative toddler way, Drew doesn’t always display appropriately. This indignant behavior only fires up the fierce competition more. Drew wears Cubs to see his grandfather and his grandfather doesn’t let up about the Sox. Drew tells his father he doesn’t like the Cubs and Adam doesn’t stop talking about the Cubs.

So where does this leave an apathetic sports fan? How do I handle the war of the two nuts? Can we just agree on the White Cubs and call it a day? Maybe there’s some interfaith counseling we can get!