After 30+ years on this planet, my mother and I finally have something in common. Strangely enough, it’s our passion for gambling on sports.
Like most people out there, I truly believe I have the best mom. She and I have always been close. However, as much as I’ve always admired and respected her, I can’t say we ever really had that much in common. Sure we occasionally watch the same television shows, traveled together, or enjoyed making jokes at my dad’s expense, but we never had any activities or recurring topics that we discussed about on a weekly basis.
That all changed this past Labor Day. My parents had finally been able to come visit and meet their granddaughter (Baby Spork). 2020 has been brutal for everyone, and those of us with new babies have experienced the really big downside of not being able to introduce their little ones to family. My parents were especially itching to see her (she was born in March), so we decided to rent a house in Flagstaff, AZ to escape the Phoenix heat and allow them to get some serious grandma/grandpa time.
It was while Baby Spork was napping one day that something interesting happened… my mom took an interest in sports. She wasn’t necessarily interested in the game itself, but she was very curious about the various bets I had placed throughout the day. See, you’ll recall that because of Covid the NBA playoffs were in full effect over Labor Day (this never happens) and as a passionate NBA fan, I had money on most of the games. As any great mother would do, she started to ask questions to better understand the interests of her favorite son (take that Jack), asking me to explain the spreads, over/under, and who I liked in the upcoming match ups. Before I knew it, she was setting up an online gambling account for herself.
The time we spent together up in Flagstaff was a lot of fun, and full of grandma and grandpa getting tons of Baby Spork time along with the occasional conversation about prop bets and “mortal locks”. I thought for sure this sports gambling interest would fade as they returned to the East Coast. But it didn’t fade, and dare I say – it grew stronger. Our usual calls started to be supplemented with texts during the week about “who I liked” and “what are you taking” – honestly, we’ve never been closer. She even criticized my selections (she would “take them under consideration”) and decided to do more research on her own. The apprentice was becoming the master.
We still have our normal mother/son talks, but much to my enjoyment these are now supplemented with additional calls on Saturday/Sunday to discuss our bets for the day. Like I said, I’ve always had the best mom in the world. I’m not sure there are many guys out there who talk spreads with their mom – and not be referring to Thanksgiving dinner.
Before I go, I wanted to make sure to include an important note. My mom’s initial deposit was $200, and after many $2 and $5 Bets, she currently sits at $207. For anyone out there concerned she was blowing her retirement money on sports betting, don’t worry, she’s doing just fine.
