NFL Star Victor Cruz: What It's Like Raising My 3-Year-Old Daughter
New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz with fiance Elaina Watley and their daughter, Kennedy, in July, 2014. Photo by AP Photo.
Football fans love New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz for his quick feet, great hands and his signature touchdown salsa dance. But his littlest fan is more fond of his bedtime reading skills, tea party participation, and Disney knowledge.
“She always sits me down and tries to get me to have fake food from her kitchen set or sip from her little cup,” Cruz tells Yahoo Parenting of his 3-year-old daughter, Kennedy. “I transition right from practice on the field to watching Frozen.”
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The 28-year-old athlete, who is engaged to Kennedy’s mother, Elaina Watley, says that despite his on-field prowess, at home he’s just a regular guy. “I read books to Kennedy in Spanish before bed every night,” he says. “I’ll lay down and tell her to grab a book — and she’ll grab six. It’s funny she’ll say ‘you read one, then I’ll read one,’ and then she looks at the pictures and tells me what’s happening in the pictures. That’s her version of reading.”
Victor Cruz and his daughter, Kennedy, in May, 2012. Photo by Getty Images.
While Kennedy hasn’t yet mastered Cruz’s signature salsa, he says there’s still time. “Her version of the salsa is stomping her feet to the ground, but when she gets older, we’ll have lessons,” says Cruz, who spoke to Yahoo Parenting on behalf of Fuel Up to Play 60's Fuel Greatness campaign to promote the importance of school breakfasts. Whether or not her dance moves are ready by the wedding day, Cruz says his daughter will be a star of the show. “She’ll be a flower [girl] or something that involves wearing a pretty dress and walking down the aisle. She'll definitely play a big part.”
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Though he was sidelined at the end the end of last season after a knee injury, Cruz says he only has great expectations for the future. Aside from returning to the field, he’s planning for a growing family. “I’d like to have another kid,” he says. “My fiancé wants to wait until we get married, but hopefully one day we’ll have a Victor Cruz Jr.”
NFL star Victor Cruz on the field. Photo by Getty Images.
So would he let Junior play football? “I think I would,” he says. “I grew up playing little league football so who am I to deny my child that same thing? It builds character, it develops footwork. I know football has gotten a lot of attention regarding injuries lately, but you’ve got teach kids the right way to play and the right way to tackle.”
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But Cruz is in no rush, and says all he wants to do now is enjoy his family. “My mom used to say, ‘I watch you grow before my eyes,’ and I took it for granted. You think it’s just something moms say. Until you have your own and see their legs growing and face changing, you don’t understand it. Watching Kennedy grow is my favorite part of being a dad.”
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