Looks like I touched a nerve of the curmudgeons on CB (with reading comprehension problems)! My message was just supposed to be a funny story. It is ridiculous, and life is great when you laugh at the ridiculous things around us.

It should be clear from what I wrote that:

(1) My children were not the problem here. It is important that my boys learn to be respectful, which means that we teach them proper behavior at a football game, which means not jumping around, not bumping into people, not fighting with each other, and not otherwise annoying those around us. Since we go to lots of games, they know what is expected of them and only occasionally require correction while at a game. They are good kids and the season tickets holders around us are delighted to see them each week and interact with them. Never, in the decade I’ve been taking my children to games, have we had any complaints about them or their behavior.

(2) The Wisconsin fans were jerks. After seeing the reactions here on CB, it could be that they too had a sour reaction to the idea of children at a football game. I don’t know their motivation, but their reaction to incidental contact was horrible. If all the seats behind them had been filled with adults, the amount of bumping would have been the same, any maybe they would have still complained. They scowled at me when I accidentally brushed my knee against the man’s back. They were just crabby, they didn’t even cheer for their team.

It is just ridiculous, so we laugh at it!

It is ridiculous that they were so grumpy.

It is ridiculous that I let their attitude bother me.

It is ridiculous that I tried to impose sacrament meeting behavior at a football game.

It is ridiculous that BYU lost that game 6-40!

It is ridiculous that I still hold a personal grudge against Wisconsin fans for what happened!

It is ridiculous that some on CB would criticize me for taking my family to a BYU football game. THIS IS BYU! I’m intentionally creating a family tradition and allowing my boys to grow into it by helping them to enjoy the experience on whatever level they are capable of. They all love the games, and they love BYU. We keep them well fed and hydrated, and we don’t allow them to move up and down the row, bugging people. HCBW carries wet wipes everywhere and is obsessive about keeping little hands and faces clean. It is ridiculous how much we all look forward to the games, no matter how depressing the season may get.

And it is ridiculous that I am spending this much time defending myself on an anonymous message board...