(Photo via Peter Schwartz)

My son Bradley was 4 years old when he was running and dribbling up and down the soccer field. There were times when kids on the other teams would just stand there like pylons not doing anything as Bradley would dart right between them. Sometimes, Bradley even made contact with them because the kids weren’t moving.

It’s not like he was Pele or anything, but he was just excited and passionate to play sports. It was clear Bradley wasn’t afraid to mix it up and it was becoming apparent that maybe soccer wasn't the right sport for him, especially in the fall.  

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“This kid needs to play football,” said my wife Sheryl in June of 2010 while she was pregnant and getting ready to give birth to our younger son, Jared.

Yes, those words came out of the mouth of a mother, and she put her money where her mouth was as Sheryl, not me, found a local youth football program that had a “peanut” instructional division. Bradley was on the football field at age 5 at the time. This September, eight years later, he’ll be making the transition to middle school football.    

And what happened when Jared was born?

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He had no choice but to be the newest member of a football-crazed family led by a matriarch who has loved football since she was a little girl. We now have two football players in the family, as Jared is getting set for his second year of flag football, but he has indicated an interest in giving tackle a try in the near future.  

Sheryl is the ultimate football mom and she, along with all the other football moms, deserves some extra recognition as Mother’s Day approaches.  While dads like me spend time talking X’s and O’s with the kids (and to be fair, Sheryl knows the game and can do it too!), it’s the football mom like Sheryl who is the brains behind the operation.  

When it’s time for the boys to get dressed for practice or a game, they look to Sheryl to help them get their uniforms and gear on.  Both mouthpieces are ready to go. Bradley’s mouthpiece is attached to his helmet, and Jared’s mouthpiece is in its case and packed away. By the time the boys are up, and really also by the time Dad wakes up, Sheryl already has their equipment bags ready to go, the water bottles filled, and a bag of snacks and drinks for the family packed along with some bandages, ice packs and other first aid necessities.  

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Sheryl is beyond a shadow of a doubt the general manager, head coach, equipment manager, trainer, nutritionist, and public relations director of this football family.   

She will remind me when registrations have to be completed, what needs to be purchased at the sporting goods store, and when it’s our turn to bring the halftime snacks for the team. Sheryl memorizes the schedule within minutes after we receive it, and she’ll notify family members when the boys are playing. When she goes food shopping or when she gives me the list to go, she makes sure there are things on the list that are needed for practices and games. 

Over the years, many of the other parents have looked to Sheryl for guidance with things like buying cleats, mouthpieces and gloves as well as tips on getting those really bad stains off the football pants and other parts of the uniform.

“How do you get the uniform so clean?” is a common question that other moms pose to Sheryl. 

At the practices and games, Sheryl doesn’t just sit there and socialize with the other parents. (Although, to be fair, that can be fun sometimes!) She’s actually watching what’s happening because, as it should be with any parent, it’s important to know what’s going on. She gets it. Sheryl knows football, so she’ll ask me questions and she’ll talk to the other dads (and some moms) about strategies and things like that.  

At practices, Sheryl will spend time with the Team Mom asking if there is anything she can do to help, like working the snack shack, helping with fundraisers, team apparel, and the postseason party. When we’re at the games, Sheryl is not only our boys’ biggest fan, but she also makes it a point to root on the other kids, because when it’s game day, we’re all one big football family. As a “football mom,” she’s as good as it gets and she deserves that "FOOTBALL MOM” charm that she wears each and every game. 

Bradley and Jared are two very lucky boys. They have the greatest Mom in the world when it comes to everything in life, especially at home and with everything we do. That includes football because Sheryl is a model “Football Mom.” She does everything for them and makes sure they don’t walk out the door for practice or a game without being ready for the day. 

I should also mention that I’m a pretty lucky “Football Dad” because of everything Sheryl does for the boys and the family. Maybe I take it for granted once in a while, but I do appreciate everything she does because without her, I don’t know how we would function.

As the sign in our house says, “We interrupt this family for football season.”

Happy Mother’s Day to Sheryl, the greatest “Football Mom” in the world!   Not many Moms would have that sign hanging in the house. It’s one of the many reasons why the boys and I love you!

Peter Schwartz is a sports anchor for the CBS Sports Radio Network, FOX News Headlines 24/7 and WCBS 880 Radio in New York. His older son Bradley plays youth tackle football for the Super Bowl Champion East Meadow Rams on Long Island, while his younger son Jared plays flag football for the LSW Giants. Peter, his wife Sheryl and the boys are busy cheering on the New York Jets when they’re not at a youth football field.