You know you're a sports mom when...
Written by: Joanna Kesner
There are many things I love about being a mom, and being a sports mom is on the top of that list. We tend to be competitive, place high value on lessons learned on the field, are always on the go, and take our job as a sports mom seriously. Whether it’s a shoulder to cry on, an extra snack, or finding a misplaced jersey, we are here for whatever our kids need.
1. Your car is an extension of your home. Snacks, clothes, shoes, extra sports equipment, umbrellas, extra blankets (never know what the weather will be!). It’s all in the backseat, trunk, or hiding under a seat.
2. Before you make any plans, you have to check the sports schedule. Planning anything non-sports related during the season can seem a bit like coordinating a Middle East peace treaty.
3. Your Saturdays are busy with at least one game or practice, and maybe three. There have definitely been weekends during the winter where we’ve gone to a combined 4 games, with only two kids in sports and it wasn’t even a tournament!
4. You know which stain remover is the best and have three bottles in your laundry room. You also have the wipe version for on the go cleaning.
5. Speaking of laundry, you do it 3 times more per week than in the off season.
6. You’re broke. Having kids in sports is expensive! Have a kid in a club sport? Even more so! And that is just the cost of playing. Add in all of the equipment, hotels, and travel, and one may find they need a part-time job.
7. You definitely have emailed a teacher about at least one homework assignment that just didn’t get done because you were on the go from afterschool to after dinner every night last week. Between traveling, making dinner and showering, some nights are harder than others. And you sign that email “It won’t happen again..” and try really hard that it doesn’t
8. You Google “Healthy quick dinner recipes” at least once a week. Oftentimes, there is no time to plan big meals and we can’t eat out every night. See #6.
9. You have maybe said something less than encouraging during a game. It happens to the best of us. Sports can be emotional and sometimes as parents we get carried away. But your apology makes for a good example to your kid of showing how to make things right when you’ve made a mistake.
10. You are your kids’ biggest cheerleader. They know it. And they know whether they’ve had a great game, a disappointing game, you will be there to encourage, listen and cheer them on.
The travel, the expense, the busy nights. It’s all worth it to us because we know that the lessons our kids are learning and the friendships they create are life long. And there’s no price on that. Hope you enjoyed reading!
P.S — If you're looking for a special gift for your athlete, we've got you covered! From personalized medal hangers, jewelry, to canvases, you can find the perfect sports gift in our shop.