I have an uphill battle ahead of me.
A few weeks ago my daughter was born in a Philadelphia-area hospital. Phillies logos and paraphernalia were all over the place – there was even a Phillies banner hanging behind the nurse’s station in the maternity ward.
Of course I had to outfit her in Mets gear as soon as possible (even if a bit big for her).
But seriously, I know I’m not the first Dad to go through this. It’s going to take a lot of effort (and some guilt perhaps?) to make sure she doesn’t grow up rooting for the red & white, but comes to love the blue & orange.
Any other Dad’s out there facing the same thing? How have you dealt with it?
I have not experienced this, but feel your pain! My brother (a D-Backs fan because he lived in Phoenix for twenty years until January ’09) now lives in Philadelphia. He and his wife are expecting their first child sometime in November. I am looking for Mets gear for that kid already (or, at worst, Arizona stuff)!
I too am raising a mets fan in Phillies territory. It isn’t easy.
You can’t start too early. My daughter could sing Meet the Mets at age 2. If you still live in Philly, at some point, she is going to realize that nearly everyone else around roots for the Phillies (or Yankees) but that’s ok.
She may want to play with a Phanatic doll that a relative brings over. My advice would be to let it slide, as well as not telling her to stop clapping along with the crowd while seeing a game at Citizens Bank Ballpark.
Sounds like you are off to the right start though!
I made an effort to indoctrinate my niece (who lives in Florida) by sending her a plush Mr. Met I bought at Shea. Unfortunately it made her cry because “he has big scars on his head.” I tried to explain they were seams, not scars, but that nuance was lost on a 5-year-old.
Biggest problem as years go by is your kids saying, Why do the Yankees win all the time? Dont think a 7 years old would understand “because there is no salary cap”
I did get a great toy chest with Mets logo with all the right colors, blue, orange, white and pinstripes.
The thing about the Yankees winning all the time – don’t the Mets play in NYC, have a new ballpark and own their own network? I’m not sure what advantages the Yankees have that the Mets don’t. The Mets have 49 seasons of history to market….oh wait, that’s where I come in.
@Michael – Sadly I don’t think you will win that battle. You’ve got both parental and geographic support ahead of you. I’d cut your losses and go with D’backs
@Demitri – Thanks for the support – nice to know there are other Dad’s out there. The first song I sang to my daughter was Meet The Mets – I agree you can never start too soon.
@Will – Wow, that is both funny and sad. You coudl always explain it that they are stitches (which they are) and that Mr. Met is now all better?
@Jesse – Don’t think I need to worry about her becoming a Yankees fan down here thankfully. But yeah, she will be getting Mets related toys once she is old enough.