My grandson Jacob plays football and baseball and a few other sports. His parents, his grandfather Frank, and his great -uncle Wayne never miss a practice or a game.

I have been to a few football practices and promised myself this year to go to his Little League games, too. On a recent Saturday, I kept my promise.

Jacob played left field, catcher and pitcher. I must say he's a good pitcher. He also made it home on a hit. The score was 6 to 7. They lost, but that was OK. Jacob is in the Milford International Little League. Each team is sponsored by a Connecticut business. My grandson's team is the Lexus of Westport Nationals. Last fall, I made it to his last football game, all bundled up in jeans, a turtleneck shirt, jacket, heavy socks and sneakers. It was a little chilly, but not cold. When the sun was shining, it was actually hot sitting on the bleachers at Jonathan Law High School's football field.

That day, my grandson's team the Milford Elks, beat West Haven, which is one of the best teams. Watching the game with his parents, grandfather and my two younger grandsons, I must say I really don't know much about the sport, but when my grandson's team made a second touchdown close to the end of the game, I found myself jumping up and clapping loudly with everyone else. The only other time I recall getting so excited about a game was when I was on the drill team in high school. Attending that football game turned out to be a real family affair. Not only was my grandson

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playing, but his cousin was a member of the opposing team. Watching the boys' dads watch their sons play against each other was almost like seeing the fathers play, especially when my grandson made a tackle and stopped an opponent from scoring. I was very happy to see that all the adults were in control of themselves, too, unlike some parents who cause problems at games if there's a call or play they don't like.

The greatest lesson for my grandson is to learn how to play the game and have fun. It's not always about winning, but about doing your best.

I'm looking forward to watching my grandson play football again this coming school year. I made a goal for myself to be at his games, sitting on the bleachers even before the game starts. I promise to do my best.

Marva Hamilton is the librarian at the Connecticut Post. She can be reached at mhamilton@ctpost.com.