The Quarterback's Princess

|1| I'm Aware

    "You're right. I'm sorry, princess. Daddy won't pretend to choke to death ever again," I said while trying to hide my smile.

    "Okay. I forgive you. But if you do it again, I'm telling Grampy to take away your car."

    "Why would you do that?"

    "Because when I don't listen, you take away my toys so I'm telling him to take away yours." My mom laughed at her reasoning.

    "But how are we supposed to go places," I asked her.

    "I'll ask Grammy to take me."

    "What about me? How am I supposed to go to school and football practice?"

    "You can walk. Or you can ride your bike. Or you can take a bus. Or you can go on a train. Oh, or a airplane," she was obviously getting sidetracked which was fine by me if it got me out of the trouble I put myself in.

    "They learned about transportation in school today," my mom filled me in. 

    My parents paid to send Cayleigh to a highly recommended preschool that was in the area. Another reason I'm so thankful to have the world's best parents. Her school has one of the best academic programs for kids her age, which they better have for the price that they charge my parents every month.

    Sometimes I feel bad for not being able to actually provide for my daughter since my parents help me out so much. But they always tell me not worry about it. They always say they want what's best for both her and I.

    "It's our job as grandparents to help watch our grandkid. Not only do we want to help you out with her but we enjoy spending time with her, too," my dad said one day when I told him how I felt. "Anyways, it's not like we can't afford to help out. If one day all the people of this world ends up never needing surgery and every kid never needs to see a doctor, then we can revisit this conversation. But unfortunately, I don't see that happening anywhere in Cayleigh's lifetime so it's not a problem for your mom and I to pay for her to go to school."

    Cayleigh being accepted to school wasn't only good for her but for me also. It makes it easier for me to go to college and play football. During the season, my schedule is pretty hectic but my parents, as I've said a ton of times before, help me out a lot.

    I drop Cayleigh off to their house every morning at 6. Cayleigh's always been an early riser so she doesn't usually give me a hard time getting her up. From there, my mom drops her off to school at 7 before making her way to her own job. When she's done for the day, usually by 5 the latest, she rushes to Cayleigh's school to pick her up from the after school program that her school has. After I finish practice for the day, I drive back to my parent's house for dinner and to pick her up.

    On Saturdays, when I have a game, she spends the day with my mom. Sometimes if it's a home game and my dad's not at the hospital, the three of them come see me play. During away games, she spends the whole weekend with them. Those are the days that really get to me sometimes. I can't stand not being there to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight.

    During the off-season, I have a lot more time with her. I can actually take her to school and pick her up. I love being able to do that. When she sees me at the door, she immediately drags me into the room and shows me all the things she did that day. She'll bring me to the bookshelf and show me what books got read or she'll excitedly shove papers in my face showing me what she did in art. The way her face lights up when she's talking about her school day and all her friends is the best sight in the world. And it's always a plus getting to hear from her teacher how smart and well behaved she is for her age.