You thought you were competitive when you were a kid. You wanted to score that goal, come in 1st place, hit that home run.
Then you became a parent. And the word “competitive” took on a whole new meaning.
Today, you watch as your kid dribbles the ball down the field, approaching the goal. You hold your breath. You clench your fists. You get a brief surge of excitement as you see that he may actually kick it into the goal. In your mind’s eye, he’s already scored!
Then he kicks it out of bounds. ”f@$#” you say, momentarily forgetting that your other child is standing at your side.
I say “you” because I assume I’m not the only one who feels this way. I assume that all parents have this inner crazy once their kids enter the world of competitive sports.
I don’t remember feeling this much anxiety/aggression/anticipation/ when I was the one playing these sports as a kid. No, for me it’s much different now that it’s my own child.
At least, that’s how I feel when I watch my kids play sports. It’s not just soccer. It’s baseball, basketball, TaeKwon Do. It’s watching my 3 grader shoot a foul shot, or pitch to the 4th grade power hitter, or test for his brown belt. It’s watching my 1st grader try so desperately to get on base.
No matter what it is they’re doing, I’m the mom who is yelling out obscenities from the bleachers. Okay, well not really. I generally try to keep the foul language to myself (though, I’m not always successful in that endeavor, as noted above). But I do cheer loudly as I egg my kids on.
Yes, yes I am … one of THOSE moms.
Since I also consider myself a cool mom, I’m hoping my kids don’t find this behavior embarrassing. Otherwise, I’m gonna have to take it down an notch. And for that, I may need do a few breathing exercises before each game. Who has time for that?
But we all have our own brand of crazy, right?
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Steph, loving all of your blogs and finding myself laughing right out loud. You definitely have a way with words! As a side note, not only are you a cool mom, but very fashionable (as Kaelin always like to point out).
Awww shucks, thanks! Soon, my kids will realize that their mama has a few screws loose.
My husband and I were thinking the exact same thing last week! Lizzie is playing soccer. She is only in kindergarten but she’s playing mini-games each week. And man, is it nerve-wracking. Hubs and I were getting fired up one week because some inexperienced coaches were unwittingly giving another team a big advantage and Lizzie’s team kept getting scored on. And they were so upset. But we kept our mouths shut, somehow. Lizzie complained afterwards that it wasn’t fair, and it turned out to be a great opportunity to talk about how things aren’t fair sometimes and you always have to try your best. Not an easy lesson, but an important one!
In life we won’t always win and we won’t always be treated fairly. Nothing like a kindergarten soccer game to teach that lesson!
How anxious I get about my kids’ performance is directly proportional to how upset the kid will be when they make a mistake. If they don’t care then I find it easy to not really care.
Good way of looking at it!
As long as you don’t become The Mom Who Tackles The Ref For A Bad Call? I think your passion is positive. (Please don’t tackle the coach, either. Please.)
No, I just flip him the bird when I don’t like the call. Just kidding. No, I haven’t gone that far yet, that goodness. If I do, then I’ll know it’s time for me to stop attending the games.
Love this!
Worried that my cheering might be too much, I vowed to be the silent mommy for a game. Afterward, my son said “Why were you in the outfield- I couldn’t hear you cheering?” Ok, Mommy is back!
That’s great! I say we stay vocal until our kids tell us flat out that we should stop.
the sports in my town are so laid-back i can’t imagine cheering too much, but maybe one day
It’s funny. There are those parents (mostly dads) in our town that are REALLY intense about their kids’ sports. I mean, some of the coaches try to stack their teams with the really good players (we’re talking 1st – 3rd grade here). There are so many politics involved. THAT crap, I simply cannot get myself involved with. That’s taking it just a little too seriously. But, I do get really caught up in the moment when I’m watching my kids in action. I don’t think that will ever dissipate in me.
I have four kids who play soccer, and there are plenty of parents who lose their minds when watching a game. We have found that if we are getting too vocal, a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop works wonders. Hard to yell with a sucker in your mouth!
Ha ha, Christine, that’s great! I’m gonna try that next time! Plus, it’s an excuse to eat candy