Fall is, by far, my most favorite season. The weather is perfect for coffee and outdoor activities, back to school and, of course, football. It's also when Breast Cancer Awareness gets geared up. So, it's not unusual that the two collide: breast cancer and football.As my husband and I watched our Ole Miss Rebels this weekend, he noticed the pink gloves the players wore in honor of breast cancer awareness. The next day, the NFL players wore their pink gear, which will later be auctioned off for "A Crucial Catch," a program to benefit the American Cancer Society's screening and outreach programs. He also mentioned recent coverage of a young boy who walked off during a football game because his coach wouldn't let him wear pink gloves (his mother had breast cancer).This all led him to the conclusion that he wanted to get our 8-year-old son pink football gloves for October. I'm on the fence about this. I worry that it's pinkwashing. I worry that we're sending the wrong message. And what is our message? That we're aware it's breast cancer awareness month? Or are we doing it in support of a special person in our lives?It turned into a teaching moment and a interesting conversation: Asking those hard questions to my husband on why he wanted him to have the gloves. Is it to support women battling breast cancer like Lisa Adams, who recently discovered her cancer has come back in her bones? Or to honor his grandmother, who died of breast cancer? Or is it just because pro-football players are doing it? It also started the conversation with my son. Did he know why these guys were wearing pink gloves? Does he know what breast cancer is? And what's something we could do to help people with this disease? What are your thoughts?
