Son Watching Sports with Daddy?

Every kid is different. I was raised on football and may be a bigger fan than my hubby...especially when the Pats tear the Jets up :). But my kids could take it or leave it. Doesn't get them out of the Sunday ritual. We watch the games and normally go to my parents for chili, or appetizers, or some kind of bbq - depends on the weather.

If the kids don't want to watch football, they just play or read or do something else. We don't force them to watch, but it IS what is on TV.

Maybe take him to a real game? It is so different to be there and see the game...he might like it more :).

It all depends on the kid. My 4.5 year old girls LOVE LOVE LOVE watching football with dad, but are only interested for about 20 minutes. Then they wander off to go do something else. I think part of the reason my girls like to watch football with dad is that he explains the game to them. It's almost like a running commentary he tells them so much. And we record everything so he can fast forward through the commercials - which are either totally inappropriate for little kids, or really boring for them.

Give your son a little time. And make sure your husband is interacting with your son while watching sports. Then it becomes a "together" activity rather than a little boy sitting on a chair being shushed while dad watches TV.

It IS actually a reasonable expectation, but he will have to frame the situation so that your boy is interested.

Which means that there will need to be snacks, conversation (dad will need to explain what is going on at the most basic level), toys, etc.

Sometimes dads don't have the patience to explain every little detail of each play in a way that a little one can understand, and sometimes they do. But that is what it will take if dad wants his boy to take an interest.

Not at 4.5! My son is 8.5 and it's almost "there". He still asks a ton of questions and wanders off to do other things here and there--and my boy LOVES sports!

I think all kids are different. both my boys loved sports from the beginning of life. They liked the colors moving on the green field in football (on TV) they liked going to the actual games and hearing and seeing the people - one of my sons is 8, the other 4 and love watching sports on tv. However, they do not sit still and watch the entire game from beginning to end. they like to sit for a while, have some 'snacks' then go play, then come back and watch some more. . .
But if your son doesn't like to watch, he doesn't like to watch. He may have more important Kid stuff going on:) Like playing - LOL.
Hope this perspective helped you a bit.

It totally depends on the child. His attention span is only about 5 minutes, maybe 15 minutes at the most.

If your son has no idea what is going on.. He is not going to be interested.

Give him time.. Let him watch live football even if it is just middle school or high school and have dad explain what is going on..

I only like watching football if I know people on the team.. Otherwise, I think it is pretty boring.

Agree it depends on the child. Both kids will watch hunting shows and soccer with dad; my son will watch football, baseball, & hockey as well.

My son has been watching soccer with dad since he was 3 weeks old - the world cup that year was in Europe and it coincided perfectly with 2am feedings, lol.

Nope, our 4.5 yr old won't sit down to watch sports, but, much to daddy's dismay, he is MESMERIZED by "Dancing with the Stars." HAHA

Depends on the kid. My now 15 year old is a sports FANATIC, but he didn't really enjoy watching games or going to games until he was 6. My 12 year old still doesn't like to watch games on TV and has a limited attention span for attending games, but he loves the concessions and other entertainment!

I doubt whether at 4-1/2 he is interested enough, or understands the game well enough, to want to watch for a full three hour game. I think at this age all dad can and should expect is for DS to come in and spend a few minutes here and there watching with him. I know your husband wants to have this father/son bond watching sports and it will come, just now right now.

My daughter asked A LOT of questions very early on about sports so she "got it". I love my photos of them sitting on the couch together on game days. Some of her favorite trips with her dad have been to KC to see his team play. She ended up being the girl that could explain what was going on at the high school games and loved it when she was old enough for powder puff football.

I think 4-1/2 is a little too young to expect a kid to pay attention long enough to learn the rules and logistics of sports on television.
Some kids might be interested by virtue of the fact there is a ball of some kind involved, but watching sports can be pretty boring if you don't understand the game.
I think your husband should just give it some time. Not everyone likes watching sports, and that's okay.
He could have the opposite problem.
My friends are sports nuts and their son never hushed up long enough for them to know what was going on.

Give it time.

My 4 year old will sit and watch golf...ewwww. He enjoys watching TV and he really asks good questions too. If they like it and it's not a battle then I would let them do what fits for them.