"BOO Tigers!"

We are Tarheels.  All of us.  Even little Owen, who may not realize his fate yet, is definitely destined to be a Tarheel.  Yes, we have greatly influenced Payton's decision to be a Tarheel fan but his level of understanding is just one more thing that amazes me about Payton.

Picture this:

The Webb family has enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Chick fil @ (my 1st time in the new year...impressive!).  Payton is wearing his Carolina Blue Tarheel wind suit (handed down from Carson).  Mommy has on a Carolina blue coat.  For once, Chad is wearing nothing related to being a Heels fan.  Owen is wearing a UNC "Tarheel Baby" bib.

A nice older couple in the restaurant commented that they too had gone to UNC and were proud of us for "raising our kids up right" as Tarheel fans despite living among all the "other Carolina fans."  We had a nice conversation about how great Chapel Hill is, briefly discussed the basketball season, and they left.  While Payton and Chad went to play, I smiled to myself about the nice interaction with another Carolina fan.  Yes, I am doing my best to raise them as little Heels.  It is just part of who we are.  As Payton already says, "I am Payton Webb (or Tyler Zeller depending on the day) and I will always be a Tarheel."

Next stop:

W@lm@rt.

Still all wearing the same Tarheel family attire.  We only needed 2 things - apples and flowers, very quick in and out stop.  Payton was helping me pick out my apples when a young, unsuspecting Clemson Tiger fan approached.

The child was 5 or 6 years old and had on a sweatshirt with a Tiger paw on the front.  The child is about 2 feet from us when Payton says:  "Look he's a Tiger fan"  Yes, he is.  "BOOOOOO  TIGERS!"  The little child turns to look at Payton as if he has just ruined his day.

Cute?  Maybe.  Rude? Probably.  Slightly embarrassing for the mother and father who have obviously raised him to pick out opposing schools mascots.  Of course, we always think children repeat what they hear at home - though, I don't think I've ever been rude to a small child (expect for when I was a small child myself) about their chosen teams.

If we had been in Chapel Hill and this had happened, it would have probably been a little more acceptable.  If we had been in North Carolina and this same little boy had been wearing a Duke shirt - beside of Payton, dressed head to toe in Carolina blue - it would have been "politically correct" to acknowledge the opposing fan.  Here, in the lowcountry, where Tiger fans really don't like UNC fans at all, it was probably a little too much.  It was cute when he did this to our friend Charlotte once or twice (or more) but now, he's starting to cross the line!  Even worse, he's only two!

So, where do I find the balance in these two situations?  How do I "raise my kids up right" and teach them to have a little respect for the opposing teams?  Difficult - especially knowing that Chad and I are NOT nice ACC fans - yes, we may pull for Clemson or NC State occasionally - but mark my word, I will NEVER pull for Duke University or Coach K.   We did teach Payton to say "Duke Yuck!" very early on....and praised him for doing so....but we didn't realize this "hatred" would be passed on to so many other teams.  Opps!

Just add this on to the list of "things to worry about when raising your child."  We worry about teaching him all the developmentally appropriate things, manners, about the Bible and our faith, potty training, eating healthy, etc...and now this...how to be a polite Carolina fan!

Go Heels!   Boo Tigers!