An Open Letter to Sports Grandparents
On behalf of those of us lucky enough to have grandparents in our kids’ lives and those even luckier to have grandparents who spend their weekends cheering them on at games, we thank you.
We see you grabbing after-game snacks and drinks for all the athletes and ensuring there’s enough for the players’ siblings.
We see you shuttling kids to games, practices, and tournaments when we parents cannot.
We see you offering to stay home and watch siblings at home so we can spend a game not chasing the younger kids on the sidelines and instead focus solely on the game.
We see you buying all the raffle tickets, coming to the car wash fundraisers, and telling all your friends to come too.
We see you flying two hours with our son so he can play in a tournament three states away the day I had our 4th child (true story- shout out to Papa Bob!).
We see you knowing all the athletes’ names and cheering them on like they were your own.
We see you proudly wearing your grandchild’s sports button and team shirt.
We see your Facebook posts boasting of your grandchild’s amazing play or a championship win.
We see you bringing extra candy to share with the younger siblings to give their parents a break so they can watch their older kid play.
We see you insist on celebratory ice cream or giving a quiet encouraging talk after a hard loss…and then getting ice cream too.
We see you do all of these things and more. And we thank you. Not just for being there, but for being an incredible example of what it means to love, encourage, and support your grandchildren.
Because it’s not about the candy, or the posts, or the buttons, it is about showing up for your grandchildren. We see that. And they do too.
