COMMENT: The family that plays together ...

As a parent, there’s no greater joy than watching your child reach a monumental milestone, earn a scholarship or sink the game-winning shot.

Or in my case, it’s watching my now 16-month-old son, Brendan, walk, or run if he has something he’s not supposed to have, listening to him talk or seeing the joy on his face when he accomplishes a new task.
Every milestone brings a smile to my face, and if Brendan eventually decides to try a sport, then I’ll be right there cheering him on every step of the way.

After all, how could you not cheer for your own child? It may seem like a no-brainer, but if you ask Lakewood Ranch High boys soccer coach Vito Bavaro, there are those rare occasions when cheering for your child is the last thing you can do.

Such was the case Dec. 1, when the Mustangs played host to The Out-of-Door Academy, where Bavaro’s son, Vito, plays for the Thunder as an eighth-grader. As a father, Bavaro, of course, wanted his son to play well; but as the coach of the opposing team, ultimately, he wanted a win for his Mustangs.

Last week’s contest wasn’t the first in which the two Bavaros faced each other. Vito coached against his son for the first time last year, with Lakewood winning the game 9-1. However, Bavaro’s son scored ODA’s lone goal.

“I was happy that we won, but even more excited that my son scored,” Bavaro said. “As he ran past me, he pointed at me, and I know he was joking with me, but I was so proud. Then, I turned to my bench and yelled at them for letting him score.”

Lakewood blanked ODA 5-0, but after getting to know the family over the past five years and seeing the joy on Bavaro’s face when he talks about his sons, I’m sure he would have been pleased if the Thunder had found the back of the net once or twice — as long as his son, who already has three goals this season, was the one doing the scoring.