BSW had the opportunity to catch up with Kirsten Watson, wife of former NE Patriot Ben Watson, as she was packing up for her move to Cleveland.
BSW: What are you going to miss most about Boston, and New England?
KW: Certainly not the weather! I am a southern girl. Snow for one day is good, then it melts away. Really, I will miss the people. To be here for 5 years. To work here, being a part of the community. Definitely the people. I will miss the food as well. I even had someone from the Capitol Grill call and say how much he will miss us!
BSW: You have a 13 month old and you are 8 ½ months pregnant, how do you juggle parenthood and being married to a professional football player?
KW: One benefit to Benjamin being a football player is they don’t really travel that much. Even away games. I’m used to Saturday nights that he’s gone. Having a child this first year has been different. I have great people who come and help out. Everyone gets together, wives on the team. It’s different once you have children. I’m home more.
BSW: Is it difficult to be the wife of a Professional Football Player?
KW: We’re pretty low-key people, anyway, even before Grace came (the Watson’s 13 month old daughter). Now she can sit in her high chair. We take her everywhere. One thing I’ve learned is that you cannot live up to people’s expectations. I want people to know me for me. Being an athlete – people love their athletes, being here has been really nice – people loving their teams and their sports. We’ve established our lives here. Five years same home. This is our start. This is our beginning.
BSW: Tell us about “Hello Beautiful”, we love the name. (Hello Beautiful was created to give girls a safe space to discuss the real issues they face, while giving them a Godly perspective on those issues. Topics such as self esteem, body image, relationships with boys and girls, and sex are openly discussed and no questions are “off limits”.)
KW: It is my heart. It is my passion. I started it in college providing/being an outlet with that relationship to grow. Being a listening ear. I say, “you are coming to me for something else.” This came before the foundation (One More we’re in our 3rd year). It’s about honest conversations, with a Christian perspective. No parent, no teachers. I don’t lecture. It’s facilitation-based. I’ll wait as long as 15 minutes in total silence. It’s fun to see them open-up. When you get to the heart of something, I keep probing to hit the root issues. In college I worked with FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). I have traveled around the country. So many athletes feel they need to have a boyfriend. It’s low self-esteem. Some even stems from abuse, or even communication in what they see or hear. We have the casual conversation, “why do you think that’s a good idea?” I ask “why” to get them to think about the situation before they are in the situation. What can you do, help them with the tools. Sometimes they just don’t know where to go. My Grandfather says it to me whenever I call, “Hello Beautiful”. It’s a driver for women. Once that question is answered by God, we understand how much we mean to him.
BSW: You attended the University of Georgia, where you met Ben, did you play sports there?
KW: In high School I played everything, basketball, soccer, track, softball. I was at a small private school. I played softball to run the bases. Then they put me in centerfield because I could run to get the ball, I couldn’t catch very well. I went to the University of Georgia to not play sports, but they had a new coach who knew my High School coach, and she called me to come run the bases. That was the year Benjamin transferred from Duke. I was an FCA leader my Sophomore year. Benjamin grew up in FCA (his Father has been involved since Benjamin was born) We started doing community service together, then started dating. FCA brought us together.
BSW: You’re married to such a big-tough guy, is there something that Ben does that isn’t so tough?
KW: I will come home sometimes and they (Ben and Grace) are watching Lifetime Movies. He’ll say to me “hey Grace and I are watching Lifetime on the couch”. Even during the season we watch the View together. I’ll record it and then when he comes home for dinner we’ll watch it together. We like the “hot Topics”. Even when he goes to work out he watches the View. We were really into it during the election.
BSW: How do you keep your marriage going so strong, with a 13 month old, and a baby on the way (it’s another girl)?
KW: When we got married we always agreed we would take one trip a year without kids. When Grace was five months old we went to Costa Rica to reconnect. We’ve worked a lot. Five years into our marriage. It’s tough. A sport that is so public. He is a perfectionist. We don’t let a lot of media in. Good or bad we don’t let people in. (the media) We found a way to safeguard our marriage.
BSW: Tell us about your involvement with “Football 101” and your charitable efforts around Boston.
KW: Football 101 was brought to our organization, One More, last year. We took 84 families who had filled out applications. We worked with them to provide them with food that lasts. We want to keep this going. Last Christmas time we went shopping for 84 families at Target for the whole family, up to age 13. We got new toys. We spent a lot of money. (We get) anything from makeup to clothes, brand new books. A lot of parents come and volunteer. Benjamin’s dad comes to speak to the families. (Ken Watson is Senior Pastor of Rock Hill Bible Fellowship Church, and he speaks across the country at camps, churches, banquets and sporting events, reaching thousands of lives with the love and hope of Jesus Christ).
Kirsten and Ben Watson head to Cleveland with their daughter Grace and a new baby due early May. BSW wishes them the best of luck in their new city. If you would like to contribute or learn more about One More or Hello Beautiful, visit their website One More.
