Before my son was born, I was busy raising the ultimate girly girl. We did cheer, dance, and had tea parties. Being the ultimate girly girl myself, mom life made perfect sense. Things were easy because my daughter’s life consisted of things that naturally made me happy.
Now, my life consists of loud, messy, sometimes way too rough play. For the past five years, I’ve been jumped on, body slammed, and rough-housed to the point of bruising and random scratches. This year, my son started sports, football in particular. I was initially excited to be a “football mom.” I was packed and ready with my cute shirts, chair, and cute Stanley cup to match.
Little did I know at that time that being a football mom isn’t as glamorous as I had hoped.
Being a football mom means three practices a week, washing the dirty uniforms, making sure I have all the necessary equipment and uniforms, and possible schedule changes. There is also the non-stop group chat full of other parents who chime into conversations during early mornings and some late at night depending on their own schedules. I also had no idea of the money I would be spending. The cost of equipment alone was something I had not even considered. Truth be told, I assumed the sign-up fee included everything we would need. Boy was I wrong! Coming home late at night after a practice and realizing my son would be hungry yet again, I spent even more money during the week than I had pre-sports. I also realized I’m not the diva I intended to be. Sitting for hours on a hot field leads to yoga pants, t-shirt, a hat to hide my unkempt hair, and sunglasses to hide my dark circles. I have recently found myself yelling “get him” and “knock him down” like a wild woman as some games become intense. I’ve come a long way from those bougie tea parties.
I must admit this new sports mom life can be exhausting, yet somehow incredibly fulfilling!
I’ve learned to multitask and stay on top of all the other things like homework, meals, and my own job responsibilities. It’s taught me more about myself this season than I could have imagined. Flexibility when game times or dates change, patience when I have to pick up another mouthpiece that we have lost, diligence in paying attention to the small details so that my days will run smoothly before and after practices. Most of all, this season has taught me about sacrifice. I ultimately gave up a lot of “me time” so that my son can flourish, learn new skills, and how to be a team player. It’s forced me out of my comfort zone of being an introvert and helped me make connections with other moms. I am not only proud of the person I’ve become, but so proud of my son and his progress. The energy and how his personality has developed has been so much fun to watch. Watching the victories and also helping him navigate what it means to lose.
