Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Thu, Apr 26, 2012 @ 10:38 AM
Picking Lessons from the NFL Draft
Sports are in the air this morning, particularly the NFL Draft. I thought it was spring, flowers, warmer temperatures.
Nope. It's sports. The NFL Draft, which I don't even begin to understand except to know that players get traded around and end up new places.
Okay, still, what does this have to do with infertility or fertility treatment? Stick with me here for one more minute or paragraph or two.
The Boston Bruins are huge today in the news, which is interesting since they lost. Somehow I would have thought that would have put the Washington Capitols in the news since they won. Okay, just don't ask me what sport they play. Kidding. Sort of. Pretty sure it's hockey. I'll check with my husband later.
Is Understanding Infertility like Understanding Sports?
And where does this connect back to fertility treatment or understanding infertility?
In my mind, it started me wondering if my complete and abysmal lack of knowledge and interest in professional sports is what my husband (and maybe your partner) thinks about infertility. My eyes start to glaze over when I hear about defensive ends or what type of offense each team has.
I'm not trying to be sexist here. I know that there are many men who care as little about this as I do and many women who are huge and knowledgable fans. So don't worry about that piece of it.
My musings here are about languages that we don't understand. Whether it's about sports or art or infertility.
I have been married almost 28 years. I have tried to understand football. Ask my husband, I have tried. It's amazing how for a reasonably intelligent women, I just don't get it. To give myself credit, I just get very, very little of it. And it's not from lack of trying.
My husband is a good role model. He's kind and generous about the fact that I don't get it. He's okay about my watching occasionally because the view is sometimes good. (They do have some hot men in these sports!) He's okay that I don't understand and can't talk endlessly about plays, playoffs, goals and standings.
Generosity Around Infertilty Education
I don't recall that I've ever been that generous with him about what he doesn't understand or doesn't get--especially the infertility education piece. What was so hard to understand about hormone levels, medications, procedures and all the rest of it?
Did that question make you laugh? It did it for me. It's laughable to think that the language of infertility is simple or easy to understand.
My thought for the day. Let's be kind to our partners if they don't get it. Or they don't get it as completely as we do.
For me, a good reminder, is trying to make sense out of the sports page.