Stafford may refresh McVay’s career, but not in a way you think

LA Rams head coach Sean McVay assumed the reigns of the team, knowing full well that the offense was going to run through second-year quarterback Jared Goff. That was okay for him, you see. He was a detail-oriented meticulous-minded offensive coordinator who now had complete control of the entire football team. It was going to be easy lining up all the pieces to make sure that Goff would succeed.

Only he fell short. Super Bowl LIII was a game of regrets and do-overs. A three-point offensive output was less than disappointing. It was humiliating. The dynamics for the offense changed then and there. The plan was flawless. And yet just three points.

First-time parents face a similar experience. Both are determined to do a better job than their own parents. The ‘rules’ that they consent to will create the perfect upbringing for their first-born child. Just enough play, but combined with mental stimulation. It will be all-in to any sports interest the eldest child will harbor. It is a band-this and after-school practice that. For parents, it’s showing interest, concern, love, and attention.

But for the child? It’s meddlesome, controlling, intense, and a constant struggle of two against one. Children gladly accept their parents’ word on everything, until they suddenly stop believing and want to start experiencing.  They want to, need to, make mistakes to learn from

That level of intensity doesn’t work. Invevitably that first-born child will find a flaw in the parents’ flawless plans. Safety devices that thwart the strength of a bodybuilder are out-smarted by a toddler who can barely stand. All of the hygiene practices and rigid sterile practices set-up in the home are invariably defeated by a young child who is teething, who has eaten from the dog dish, or who has tumbled and bumped a noggin.

Maturation is a process of trying and failing and learning what not to try going forward. For a single child family, that opportunity to experience the world firsthand is awfully difficult to come by. Children learn what to avoid by tasting and touching harmful things.