The sporting child

Those of you with younger children will just have to trust me. Those of you with school aged children will just nod your head and smile. If you have a child that participates in sports (or dance, etc.) you will do the following:

1) You WILL get up at 7 on a Saturday in October to sit at the frigid soccer field.

2) You WILL take all of your children out in the torrential downpour on a Monday night to take your oldest to her next to last hockey game of the season while your husband is at a meeting.

3) You WILL buy new equipment/shoes/socks/hats/shirts every year.

4) You WILL say "ok" to your husband coaching the hockey/softball/soccer teams your kids play for.

5) You WILL cheer the loudest even if it isn't a "real" game.

You WILL do all of these things for your kids because they will score a goal/get an assist/smile at you from the rink~field~dance floor/hear you cheer them on/get a double/have fun. You WILL wish you were still in bed/not out in the pouring rain/someone else was the coach/your kid played a different sport or none at all. But those wishes will be few and far between when you have smiling kids at the end of it all.

I was not a sports kids. I never played soccer, hockey, softball, baseball. I read books and played the flute. I LOVE that my kids want to play sports. I love that my daughter complains because she only scored one goal in her hockey game. I love that they cry when the season is over because they love it so much. I love that right now it's all still about having fun and learning the game. I may have different thoughts when they get older, but for now, I'm going to keep loving being a soccer/hockey/softball Mama.