Missing a Practice or Game...

The other night our daughter had a soccer practice with me, (Kim), as the coach, our son had a lacrosse practice, and our oldest son had a lacrosse game. In the scheme of things, this was a fairly simple night--each child had only one place to be and only one of us was coaching. (There have been nights that both of us had to coach and the children had multiple activities, such as Brownies, Religion Class, and two sports practices.)

The problem was that I don't often watch our oldest son's lacrosse games because I'm coaching another sport or driving the other two kids to practices. So...this week I was determined to watch his game.

After a long day of worrying about how I was going to get each child where he or she needed to be, I managed to drop my daughter at a teammate's house an hour before her soccer practice. I told my middle child that he had to ride his bike to lacrosse practice and that I would pick him and his bike up at the end of his practice. (It is possible for him to ride his bike two miles to practice, but we have to be careful in case of rain.) Last, I drove across town in rush hour and managed to watch our oldest son's game. Hooray!

In this case, it was me who missed coaching; however, a co-coach covered for me. Each day I juggle and figure out how I can get each of my children to their activities. I do my best, but sometimes one of us has to miss an activity, especially when Ed is out of town.

This is youth sports, and I'm human. Let's face it--it might be difficult, but sometimes we have to just say "no."

-Kim

Are You Over-scheduled?

We are over-scheduled sports parents. I recommend taking a deep breath before reading my schedule from last weekend:

Friday:

• Husband and Child #1 drove to Toledo for hockey camp through Sunday.
• Missed Child #1's lacrosse game because Child #1 was in Toledo.

Saturday morning:

• Child #2 was picked up by friend's parents for weekend lacrosse tournament in Cincinnati.
• Child #3 played in local soccer game and I coached (in pouring down rain).

Saturday late morning:

• Child #3 and I drove to Cincinnati (two hours) for Child #2's lacrosse tournament. (Due to congestion in tournament parking lot, we missed Child #2's first game of the day.)

Saturday afternoon:

• Child #3 and I watched two of Child #2's lacrosse games.

Saturday evening:

• Child #2, Child #3, and I met relatives for quick dinner and to discuss possible speaking engagement.
• Child #2 went home with my sister-in-law for the night.
• Child #3 and I drove back to Columbus (two hours).

Sunday morning:

• Sister-in-law drove Child #2 to lacrosse tournament (three more games).
• Child #3 and I drove to Akron (two hours) for my sister's baby shower.

Sunday afternoon:

• Friends drove Child #2 back to Columbus (two hours).
• Husband sent Child #1 to Akron (two hours) with friends so I could pick him up and drive him back to Columbus.
• Husband drove somewhere in Ohio for work. (Yes, we have jobs to earn money.)
• Child #3 and I left Baby Shower and picked up Child #1 at friend's house in Akron.

Sunday evening:

• Child #1, Child #3, and I drove home to Columbus (two hours).
• I picked up Child #2 at friend's house.

Sound familiar? Are you confused? I'm confused, but this is typical for most sports-parents. Do you agree?

-Kim

Your Child's Passion...

Passion. There's nothing better as coaches and as sports parents than observing a child's passion towards a sport. When your child is watching a game live or on tv, or playing in a game, do you ever notice a sparkle in his eyes?

Our middle child is on a newly formed travel-lacrosse team. He played lacrosse for the last couple of years on a recreational team. We weren't too excited for our son to play travel lacrosse because his schedule is quite full.

Low and behold, we were wrong! This travel team has been fabulous. Our son's improvement in the game has been amazing - we see a sparkle in his eye every time he plays, and his confidence and self esteem have improved significantly.

We love to see a child's passion, excitement, interest, desire, or any form of love for the game. Isn't that what you want to see from your child? Have you seen your child's passion for a sport? Please share your stories with us!

Having Fun, Rain or Shine!

Spring is here! Time for baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and many other youth sports. But it's rainy and cold. Do you really want to watch your child participate in sports outside in the rain and cold? Do you dread watching youth sports games when you're freezing and wet?

Use the following tips to help you and your child make the best of nasty weather conditions:

• Encourage your child to have fun in the rain and mud. Children learn from adults. If you let your child know that it's ok to have fun and get wet and dirty, he will be more comfortable and be more likely to enjoy the bad weather conditions.
• Bring a survival bag packed with warm clothes and a blanket.
• Make hot chocolate. Having hot chocolate ready on the sidelines is a little incentive for your child to enjoy the poor weather conditions. Plus, it will help to warm your child up.
• Go out and watch the game from the sidelines, not from your car. If you tell your child that it's ok to get wet and dirty, he will be more likely to believe you if he sees you getting drenched by the rain too.
• Cheer for your child's team. Rain or sun, you can still cheer for your child's team, and your child will enjoy the support.

Do you have any tips for surviving bad weather? We would love to hear from you. Please post comments and share your tips or fun stories of survival!

Sports Parenting Reminder: Cheer for ALL Team Members

Today, I was at a youth soccer game. While sitting next to a couple of enthusiastic parents, I noticed that their cheering and yelling (encouraging words) were genuine. These parents were cheering for ALL team members, not only their daughter.

So many sports parents yell AT their child and forget about the actual support all children need. Isn't it our job to support and encourage our children? Don't we all want to help our children as much as possible? Isn't it best to support all children on a team?

Kids love to hear the following phrases:

• Great pass!
• Nice stop!
• Good team work!
• Way to work hard!
• You can do it!
• Awesome move!

The next time your child or another child on the team is having a bad day during a game, try yelling or cheering some words of encouragement. You might be surprised by the results!

I was thrilled to hear this type of encouragement from parents. Sometimes we can all use a reminder.

Kim