Mom, Dad!!! We're in the Super Family Bowl!

I'll admit that the Super Bowl ended like I hoped it would, because I was rooting for family.

I was completely intrigued the match-up between head-coach brothers, with parents and other family watching it unfold.

This was a game about family; it was a game in which every coaching decision seemed infused with decades of family and sibling dynamics. There wasn't a bold call made that didn't evoke a sense of one brother thinking, "Got ya" and the other brother thinking, "Not for long, buddy."

What makes the meme above so funny is that the real-life aspect of the game was in our faces the whole time. These aren't automatons or idiosyncratic sports idols first. These two men are brothers first. They've played, fought, undoubtedly made some bad decision as teenagers, and lived...together. There was no way to forget that bond (not to mention the fact that they look so much alike) as the game unfolded.

Julian Linden, in this article, wrote about how the brothers, and others, felt:

"I just love him obviously. I think anybody out there who has a brother can understand what that is all about," John said.

"The meeting with Jim in the middle was probably the most difficult thing I have ever been associated with in my life. I am proud of him."

The game, at the Superdome in New Orleans, was preceded by one of the most poignant moments ever witnessed in the 47 editions of the Super Bowl when a choir from Sandy Hook Elementary School joined Jennifer Hudson in a stirring rendition of "America the Beautiful".

The 70,000 spectators rose to their feet, many with tears in their eyes, as the children sang, nearly two months after the deadly shooting rampage at their Connecticut school.

"Our wish is to demonstrate to America and the world that, "We are Sandy Hook and we choose love," the school said in a statement.

So, obviously, it wasn't just about the Harbaugh family. The Sandy Hook Elementary kids who sang reminded us that, through a still-unspeakable tragedy, they are now our family, too. I don't know anyone, tough or not, who didn't grieve their way through the Sandy Hook school shooting by worrying about their own children and grandchildren. That makes us all connected.

Then, there are the Harbaugh parents. I have two sons who are 12 months apart; the Harbaugh coaches are only a little farther apart than that. Just this weekend I hurt for each of my own as they worked through sibling crap. I can't imagine how I'd feel if they were pitted against each other in one of the most important sporting events of every year...or how they'd feel for each other.

AP Photo: Coaches after the Super Bowl

From this Associated Press article, entitled "John Harbaugh 'hurting' for younger brother Jim":

Even as the clock ran out and the Baltimore Ravens jumped around and embraced each other, the winning coach strode toward center of the field hurting for his brother, Jim, as much as he was pleased for himself.

The short embrace between the Baltimore and San Francisco coaches on the floor of the Superdome, in which Jim briefly touched John's face, "was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done, ever been associated with in my life," John said.

"Jim is a great competitor," John Harbaugh added. "I just love him, obviously. I think anybody out there who has a brother can understand. I just believe in him and I have so much respect for him. I admire him. I look up to him in so many ways and I am hurting for him in that sense."

And later on in the article...

After watching John Harbaugh address the media, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh made their way across the ground level of the Superdome to the 49ers locker room, where Jack spoke with Jim behind closed doors. The Harbaugh parents had predicted that their thoughts would likely be more with whoever lost the game, because they figured that son would need them most.

We all know, as parents, that it's super easy to get caught up in our kids' games, especially when they are a BIG DEAL. And this was a BIGGER DEAL than a 4th grade soccer game or a 6th grade middle-school football game. Or, even a high school state championship or a college playoff game during March Madness. 

This Super Family Bowl shows us that family is more important than any of that. Shoot -- family is more important than the Super Bowl. And, this time of the year, nothing's bigger than that.

Joani, John, and Jim Harbaugh

** As I was writing this, I found a picture of the Harbaugh siblings that I just HAD to show my daughter, the youngest of my three and the lone girl behind two teenage brothers. "Look what they have! A YOU!"

Also, the only reason I even watched the game this year was because of my own family. Way to go, Uncle Dean!

Have you ever been in a situation where your kids were pitted against each other in a game? How did you feel? How did you handle it? Leave comments below...