Putting aside things like politics, the improving economy and President Bush's war on terrorism, let's talk about something much more important.

Let's talk about your kids.

Now that they are back in school, life is quiet and simple and you finally have some time for yourself. You can relax and do the things you want to do-right?

I'm kidding of course.

I have three.

This is the time of year when my life is literally no longer my own. I get to reclaim it some time around Thanksgiving when the fall baseball and soccer seasons come to an end.

If you have kids in school, I know exactly what's going on in your home right now too. For the next two months, you'll be spending your autumn afternoons and evenings sitting in one of two places: behind the steering wheel of a minivan or shivering on a metal bleacher. You will watch for countless hours as your son or daughter plays soccer or baseball or football or any of the half-dozen other school and in-town department of recreation sports.

The rest of the family will have to put up with eating a lot of pizza and sandwiches for supper and your water bill will undoubtedly double from the numerous post-game hot showers your sore and sweaty kids will need.

Mom, Dad, you can do one of two things: you can grit your teeth and endure it (and make your kids miserable in the process) or you can become your son or daughter's best friend by going out of your way to enjoy the experience with them. And in so doing, you will become an enormous encouragement.

When our two boys were younger, my wife and I had several conversations about the day they would become interested in sports and we would be faced with driving them all over creation. I remember thinking to myself I would need to be prepared for what was to become an enormous disruption in our lives.

But somewhere along the journey we decided that instead of letting it become a disruption, we would make it a part of our lives by becoming as involved as possible in their world.

This is our fifth year of playing after-school run-around. It has never been a disruption or even a distraction. Hectic? No doubt about it. But it's also been a lot of fun. And it's helped keep me young.

My older son is a sophomore and he plays varsity soccer on his high school team. I make every effort to be at all of his games, home or away, and have become the team's unofficial photographer. It's amazing to see the smiles on the player's faces when they see a photo of themselves juggling a soccer ball or scoring a goal.

In the case of my younger, 12-year old son, I became his coach-literally.

James is profoundly deaf. I figured if I were going to act as his sign language interpreter, I might as well learn the game and be there for him on the bench as well.

So I coach two sports every fall, baseball and soccer.

Baseball came naturally to me. I have played it all my life, so coaching was easy. Soccer was another story. I had never played it in school and only had some minor experience playing "pick-up" games. In order to appear that I know what I am doing, I attended numerous soccer camps and passed the state requirements for an F-grade coaching license.

Maybe you can't take pictures or coach a team. Maybe all you have time for is showing up at your kid's games and cheering them on. Let me encourage you to do so. Don't just drop them off and pick them up after the game is over.

On these cold autumn nights, bring a comfortable lawn chair, a blanket and a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate. Don't sit there and read a book. Cheer wildly for them from the sidelines.

The writer of Psalm 127 declared: "Children are a heritage from the Lord."

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com. Visit our website at www.amyfound.org.