A Mother’s Playbook
Attention Mamas:
-Do you have a child who wakes up and puts on Sports Center before the sun has risen?
-Do you find yourself recording nightly sporting events after the kids have gone to bed?
-Is your brain constantly trying to recall the name of that player and whatever sport it is that he plays?
If so, then you can start your touchdown dance. You are in the right place.
I am sure you never imagined as a woman in your 20-40s that you would be planning entire evenings around which sport was on tv. I bet you didn’t think you’d know not just the name of the teams, but also the quarterbacks who went to the Super Bowl this year. Your idea of Sunday Sabbath now includes 18 holes of golf playing in the background or watching the swing get perfected in the front yard and having to remind your kiddo not to hit near the cars.
You haven’t had coffee yet, actually you’ve barely opened your eyes, and you’ve already been informed of last night's hockey game score and given the rundown of what's on the schedule for the next two days. No one told you that you’d be required to know what time the (insert favorite team/sport here) game would be on tonight and have dinner made in time to not miss it. This part of parenting is not in the playbooks.
It takes a special kind of mom to not get the gloss over look when the sports talk begins. You know which one I’m talking about. The head nods, and “uh huh” isn’t going to cut it when your kiddo asks you to remind him what time the game is on tonight or what you thought of that shot he just made in the hockey net in the driveway.
You are a member of an elite group of mothers required to know all the facts about all the sports at any given moment and cheer that kid on as he tries every single of them with all of his effort. Don’t worry though, you are not alone and this guide will help you thrive in this role. You may even surprise yourself, and love it!
Know the basics. You can engage in conversation easily if you know their favorite sports, the teams, and whether they are good or bad. For example, I have a Detroit Lions fan in our house and well, they aren’t great but we love them anyway.
Pay attention. It might feel difficult at first, but it gets easier. They will ask if you saw that hit, shot, swing, goal, etc. Make sure you did, because the way they light up when you tell them how great it was makes it all worth it.
Have back ups. Seriously, one football isn’t enough. It will get misplaced and you will regret not having another on hand until it is found. Golf balls, and hockey pucks- just keep a stock pile in the garage. No less than a dozen will cut it.
Be ready for the emotions. There may be tears when a game is lost, whether it be a sport that they are watching or a sport they are playing. These kiddos are invested with their hearts and they take a hit when they lose. Try your best to remind them that it's just a game, but also that you take their emotions seriously. It’s a delicate balance but the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Pivot. If you’ve mastered the steps above just be ready to do it all over again when the sport changes, or the team changes. It may have been hockey last month, but this month you are going to hear all about football. Lucas Raymond is out and Aidan Hutchinson is in. And if you’re a sports mama, you already know who both of those players are probably.
Congrats friend, and welcome. Pull up a chair because if your kid is anything like mine, you’ll be here a while.
