“A mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child.”
All moms know how true this statement is. These days, I am trying to get my son Jordan to stop thinking like an athlete. When you are a college athlete or play sports at the professional level, people cater to you. Restaurants seat you at good tables. You fly on chartered team flights. Strangers are in awe of you. But in the real world, the one that takes place after your career as a professional athlete, things can be quite different. You fly on commercial flights like everyone else. When you eat out, you’re put on a waiting list. As an athlete you can think that you are more important that you are. Even if special treatment is unexpected, there is a void once those perks disappear.
Jordan is a free agent and he did not get picked up this year. A team may hire him next season, but, for now, I want him to think like a businessman. This transition has been difficult for Jordan and I don’t like seeing him disappointed. But he needs to realize that things will change if he never plays for the NFL again. That realization is shocking for him and it’s hard for me to watch.
I struggle with how to help him. As a mom, sometimes you don’t have the solution to help your child feel better or successfully move from one situation to the other. Prayer has helped to guide my son. I also redirect his energy and focus. I want him to find value in something else. Just because his name isn’t on the back of a jersey right now, doesn’t mean he cannot have a promising career in front of him.
Initially, I didn’t relate to what Jordan is going through. Before Jordan was born, I was a successful businesswoman. Since I became a mom, my career has flourished, still there are certain people who only know me as “Jordan’s mom” or “Dominique’s mom.” These people don’t even know my first name! As a career woman, that change is startling. While I will always be their mother, once they are married with their own children my role will be very different.
Similarly, athletes usually have a set period of time to play sports. That’s why it’s so important have a vision of and to focus on what’s next. It’s important to have a plan in place and work the plan.
That’s why I created the 50-Yard Line Mom. I wanted my next chapter to involve public speaking and writing about my experience as the mother of an NFL player. It took years for me to get here. Jordan is working on his future plans too. He aspires to be an on-air broadcaster. He spent the past season providing ‘Pugh’s Perspective’ before Texas A&M games on KBTX.
It may take some time for Jordan to adjust to not playing in the NFL. But whatever happens, I know that Jordan he has a bright future ahead of him because he has a plan, and he never takes his eye off the ball.