How the NCAA Tournament is Kind of Like Parenting

It is that time of year when the nation pauses to watch the best NCAA teams battle it out for the right to be crowned champions.

I LOVE the opening round of the NCAA tournament, getting my fix of great games. Last weekend was like Christmas for me, seeing teams like Wichita State, N.C. State and Notre Dame advance to the Sweet 16. I get easily bored of the perennial powerhouses.

I can admit that I don’t watch enough college basketball to accurately predict these games. I fill out a bracket to familiarize myself with the tournament field. I love picking the sentimental favorites to do better than they have any business doing. I’m a bit of a bracket idealist.

Then, when my bracket is totally busted two days later, I’m too busy enjoying the chaos to notice or really care. I love watching the low seeds that no one predicted slip into the late rounds.

Parenting a toddler isn’t all that unlike watching the tournament. Sure there are some likely events that take place, but every once in awhile that toddler will flat out surprise you. In fact, they are pretty good at it.

For example, on a Tuesday night in our home, it is predictable that Jamie will take a bath. That event occurring is as likely as a #1 seed knocking off the #16 in the opening round. Barring the craziest circumstance, it’s pretty much just going to happen.

It is also likely that during dinner he will try to use pizza sauce for styling gel, whenever he has a slice in front of him. That is a foregone conclusion.

But the other night we had a true Cinderella moment when Jamie passed on his chicken and yelled for green beans the entire meal. That was an unpredictable outcome that neither his mother or I would have predicted. We were willing to overlook the assault on our ear drums, because he showed a preference for vegetables. Moments like that are why you play the game.

Playing blocks is another surefire bet around our house. It’s got the predictability of a #2 seed versus a #15 game. You can be pretty sure that he is going to want to play. What was less predictable is that the game shifted from “play blocks” to “blocks away,” with no parental prompting. That #15 seed has to win every once in awhile.

Then there are the events with 50/50 outcomes. Those are like the #8 versus #9 seed games. There is an entire menu of food options that Jamie will eat when he feels like it and, pass on when he doesn’t. I’ve seen the kid totally obsess over pizza. I’ve also seen him take a couple bites and ask for his other favorite junk foods. (Either way the sauce is going in his hair.)

Then you’re stuck in that awkward position of “making” your 2-year-old eat something you know probably isn’t all that good for them anyway. I always feel a little conflicted in these situations.

Jamie is always going to need to eat and take baths and do the predictable things. Those #1 seed victories will continue to happen. But we’re also pulling for the Cinderella moments, and occasionally being caught off guard. Like I said, I am a bracket idealist. I am a sucker for the upset.

Toddlers are really good at it. And it’s what makes the game worth it.