Harger: School be damned, this Seahawks parade will be a once-in-a-lifetime memory

When “Seattle’s Morning News” wraps up at 9 a.m., my 13-year-old son Sam and I are walking from the KIRO Newsradio and MyNorthwest building here on Eastlake Avenue in Seattle to the Seahawks Super Bowl parade. And I’m not just excited because it’s a parade. I’m excited because I get to do it with him.

Back in 2014, I went to the first Seahawks’ championship parade. Sam was just a baby. I was reporting from the parade route. I had walking pneumonia. My doctor nearly hospitalized me after. I remember the crowd, the noise, the confetti, the bitter cold, and I remember feeling like my lungs were lined with wet concrete.

Sam has no memory of that day. Of course he doesn’t. He was a baby.

But this time, he will.

This championship will be a multi-generational memory

I’ll be honest, I debated keeping him in school today. He’s in eighth grade. He’s got homework. There are tests. The responsible part of my brain said, “Keep the routine. Be the serious parent.”

Then the other part of my brain said something that has gotten louder as I’ve gotten older: These moments don’t wait.

When we won that first Super Bowl, I remember thinking, this is the start of something. We’ll be back. We’ll have more parades. This is what the Seahawks do now.

Turns out, these things are rare. Even for great teams. Even for great cities. Injuries happen. Coaches leave. A bad draft can set you back for years. Whole eras come and go faster than you think. One season you’re on top of the world, and then you look up and a decade has gone by.

So no, I’m not taking today for granted. I don’t know if we ever get another Super Bowl victory parade. I hope we do. But I’m not counting on it.

I’m turning 51 next month, and I’ve started noticing things I didn’t notice in my thirties. Friends dealing with mobility issues. People I grew up with are talking about surgeries, chronic pain, stuff that sounds too old for us. And it’s a reminder that good health isn’t a guarantee. Neither is time.

So I’m embracing this because, whether there’s another parade or not, we have this one. We have today.

On Sunday night, after the Seahawks won, I hugged Sam and I had this thought. This is one of those “core memory” moments. The kind of thing he’s going to remember when he’s my age. And I don’t want the parade to be something he remembers watching on TV while I was at work, or while I was busy, or while I was being responsible.

I want him to remember that we went. Together.

We’re going to walk from the station. It’s more than two miles. We’ll be packed in with thousands of people. It’ll be loud. It’ll be chaotic. And it’ll be perfect.

So here’s my message to parents today. Don’t miss these moments. I know life is busy. I know schedules run everything. I know school matters. But every once in a while, something comes along that’s bigger than the routine.

Go to the parade. Take the picture. Make the memory. Your kid won’t remember the random school day you made them do homework on time. They will remember the day you showed up for something joyful.

Today, I get the joy of being a dad. The joy of being healthy enough to walk it. And the joy of a Seahawks Super Bowl win.

Not bad for a Wednesday.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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