MVP (Most Valuable Parent)?

by Won Kim

The other night was an anomaly. Somehow my 3-year-old son was fast asleep by 9 p.m.-which is actually early for him-and shortly after our newborn capped off his feeding and was nestling into his crib for a four-hour nap. Then my wife looked up at me with a tired look on her face and said, "I'm too exhausted to talk tonight. Isn't there a playoff game on? Why don't you relax and watch a game." I nodded with empathy for her exhaustion because that's what smart husbands do, but inside I was doing high-fives with elation.

Not that I need permission from my wife to go and watch a game, but there's a sense of relief when you know you can sit down all by yourself on your favorite couch and get lost for 2-3 hours sans interruption. See, I told you this night was an anomaly.

So, here I am watching the NBA on TNT with my favorite beverage in hand and some snacks on the side. The late game is on, and it's the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Utah Jazz. Prior to tip-off, the Lakers' superstar Kobe Bryant was just christened the Most Valuable Player (M.V.P.) of the NBA, and with the game being played in LA, it wasn't long before the chants of M.V.P. began to reverberate throughout the arena. Every time Bryant touched the ball the chants of M.V.P. would ring out, but there was one particular moment that stood out.

During the game Bryant was fouled driving to the basket, which if you know a thing or two about basketball, means he gets to shoot some free throws. As he slowly stepped up to the free throw line, the chants of M.V.P. rose in volume as the full-capacity crowd all joined in the chorus of the aforementioned acronym. It was a sweet moment. Bryant seemed to take a little longer than usual, as if he was soaking in the affirmation. Then it struck me-I wanted to be Kobe Bryant at that very moment.

What guy wouldn't want to have his name yelled out by a sold-out crowd followed by the chant of M.V.P.? What guy as a little boy growing up didn't dream of one day making the game-winning shot or throwing the impossible touchdown pass or hitting the homerun in the bottom of the ninth? If we're honest, what middle-aging guy isn't still dreaming of that right now?

I'll be the first in line to say it's never easy getting older. That process is only compounded by the fact that we have a thousand other responsibilities that come with being a father. Seriously, it's one thing to be a guy getting older, but it's a completely different thing altogether to be getting older with child.

I'm guessing most of you reading this aren't playing professional sports, so that moment in the spotlight when 50,000 people are recognizing you're M.V.P. qualities just isn't going to happen. However, that doesn't mean we can't be worthy of an M.V.P. For our context, we'll simply make M.V.P. stand for Most Valuable Parent.

Am I an MVP? Am I investing time, learning about my kids' dreams, and being a role model? What comes to mind for you when you think of a dad worthy of the MVP award?

Maybe we can all get together at a stadium sometime and take turns chanting MVP for one another. If that doesn't work, we'll just get our kids (or pay some random kids) to chant in unison, "M.V.P., M.V.P., M.V.P.!"