Red Sox do it again!

Sunday was a very exciting day in our house. My children are budding Sox fans, much to the dismay of my Yankee loving father-in-law. They were very excited that the Sox had a chance to win it all Sunday night. Rachel and Alex were not at all happy about going to bed just as the game started. They made me promise to wake them in the ninth inning if the Sox were ahead. In the words of Rachel, "This is important stuff, Mom." It was somewhat of a nail biter, especially having grown-up with the memories of heartache after heartache. I was a freshman at Boston University in 1986 when the Sox played the Mets in the World Series. You could see Kenmore Square from my dorm, and Fenway was a five minute walk away. It happened to be parent's weekend the night of game 6. I'll never forget the look on my Dad's face when that ball rolled through Bill Buckner's legs. As a seasoned fan, I'm sure he half expected it, but still it was heartbreaking just the same. Even with the victory in 2004 under our belt, I still knew anything could happen when it came to the Red Sox. I was somewhat cautious waking the kids in the ninth inning. It seemed kind of risky to wake sleeping children, only to see the Sox implode. The funny thing was, the kids fully expected the Sox to win. They had no fear! We tried to explain that it's not over till it's over, but they weren't swayed from their optimism. That's when it occurred to me how different their perspective was from mine. They've only known the Sox as winners. They know nothing of the heartbreak of being a Sox fan. After the final out we all hugged and jumped around. Being a girl, my favorite part was watching the players hug. The kids thought it was great seeing Jason Varitek leap into Papelbon's arms. It was fun to share the moment with my kids. That's when they asked how many times the Red Sox won the World Series in my lifetime. 2 times, same as in their lifetimes. Well, what about Papa? How many times have they won it since he's been a fan? 2 times, same as them. How about my Gramps, who passed away before they were born? Well, he never saw it happen. They were pretty amazed by this! It just goes to show, perspective is everything.