Muffins with Mom – A Teen sports enthusiast

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Have you ever been a sports mom or dad....spending countless hours in a gym, at a soccer field, sitting in a stadium chair and so on? My teen boys have played sports, beginning with pre-school soccer.

My sixteen-year-old plays high school football and during the off season he continues conditioning. It should have come as no surprise to me when he called me from school one day and said, “Ma, I’m staying after school for track.”

“Oh, are you watching a meet?” I asked.

“No, I’m on the team.”

Somewhere along the way I must have missed the conversation with my son about wanting to join the track team. We moved past that, then last week my son came home from school and said, “I’m going to play Rugby with Justin.”

After Rugby practice, my son brought home a consent form for me to complete. Of course there were fees associated with this sport. I asked my son, “Do you have to play every sport?”

“I want to stay in shape.” He replied.

”Well, why don’t you tell the coach you don’t really want to be on the team, you just want to practice with them. Maybe you won’t have to pay the fee.”

I completed the form a few days ago, but it is still on the table waiting for my son to take it to practice. So, I don’t know if he is on the team or not. I guess I’ll know for sure if he brings home a game schedule.

The story does not end here.

This week after football conditioning, my son arrived home and said, “Ma, I’ll be home a little late tomorrow. I’m in a dodgeball tournament.”

All I could say was, “You have got to be kidding me.”

My son showed me a t-shirt with his name in block letters across the back. He was not kidding. The good news was that the tournament was only a one day tournament.

It seems a sports parent’s season transitions from one sport to the next. One day you’re sitting in the blazing sun on metal bleachers, later you’re sitting in a stuffy gym or pool side at a swim meet. No matter what, at the end of the day you support your child’s endeavors.

Do you have a child who is a sports enthusiast?