Thanks to a win tonight over the Washington Huskies, the Sun Devils football team remains undefeated so far this season.
Thanks to the large number of fans who brought the kids along, I learned how to take children to an ASU football game. (I'm sure the procedure could be adapted to the sport or team of your choice.)
- Make them feel like part of the team before the game even begins by dressing them in maroon and gold jerseys or cheerleader outfits. Let them get their faces painted outside the stadium.
- Teach them to chant A-S-U A-S-U...
- When you get to the game, give them food. Lots of food.
- If you bring an infant, he (or she) may contently ignore the noise of the crowd for a
quarter or two then suddenly decide to be bothered by it. Here's what to do: Give him the pacifier. Bounce him on your knee. Rock him back and forth. Repeat as necessary. If you secretly start hoping they don't make another touchdown, try not to feel too guilty. Even Sparky would understand. - Either take the kids to the restroom before halftime in order to avoid the lines and watch the show or take them during halftime to keep them on their feet longer and avoid the show.
- By the third quarter, they should be tired. If they are zombie-tired, you should be able to enjoy the rest of the game in peace as they stare blankly at the field. But if they are wiggly-tired (which is more likely), you can take them on repeated walks around the stadium in attempt to wear them out. Good luck with that.
- Probably time for more food and/or drinks.
- Odds are you'll end up leaving early. Until you do leave, try to savor the moment. Not only is it a memorable family experience, an ASU game is the one time it's okay to refer to your children as "little devils."
Great suggestions! Can you take any snacks or water into the game? It might help keep down costs. Also, good point about being willing to leave early - keep it a positive experience for the little ones and they will want to come back.
ReplyDeleteYep, you can take food and water in, as long as you follow ASU guidelines. For example, you CAN bring...
ReplyDelete- individual-size snacks. So, I guess, package everyone's chips separately instead of bringing one big bag-?
- empty water bottles. There are big coolers of cold water you can fill them up with.
- "factory sealed" water bottles (44 oz. or smaller).
No other beverages, no coolers, no thermoses, no pitchforks. We're probably the only team that specifically has to list "pitchforks" as a prohibited item. Go devils.
Bags need to be under 12" x 12" x 12" - unless you have a baby with you, then you can have a larger diaper bag.
The full list of what you can or can't bring is here: http://tinyurl.com/27qbap
Good practical advice and great attitude, too. I appreciate it when people take the time to write down what coping techniques they use. I'm a list-making person myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MomOnTheGo! I agree with you about lists - very helpful! I think we all have enough on our minds already - it's good not to have to rely on our overloaded memories any more than we have to. :)
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