sidelines

This spring I have 3 kids in sports.  On 3 different teams.  This in addition to the girls both taking gymnastics twice a week  and Cub Scouts.

We are busy, busy, busy with games and practices most every night… some nights we’re even double booked.

Many people look at my schedule and call me crazy.    Why do you do this to yourself?

The answer is, honestly, two fold. 

1.  We love it. 

2.  Believe it or not, it actually makes my life easier

If I had to drag my kids kicking and screaming to practice, I wouldn’t do it.  It wouldn’t be worth it.  But they love it.   My third child wore cleats and shin guards last year to every one of her brother and sisters games and practices and all she did was sit on the sidelines.  She was so eager to be out there that she dressed like them and practiced on her own off the field.   

And truth be told, I love it too.  I am that crazy mom with her hands in the air screaming at the top of her lungs as they dribble down the field or race to first base.   I just love watching them play! 

I admit it is often a challenge to shuffle four kids out the door at dinner time each day.  Cleats? Water bottles?  Uniform?  Cup?  I am constantly running through the check list as we make our way to the taxi minivan.

On a normal night, my husband gets home from work around 6-6:30.  I don’t know what it is about the hours between 4-6, but some sort of odd transformation occurs in my kids during that time of day.  It’s as if they have used up all ability to play nicely together.  They turn needy and whiny and have very short leashes.  I don’t know what it is about their  Momma during that time of day, but she typically turns inpatient and needy and whiny during that time of day.

Being away from home during the “bewitching hours” makes our day run more smoothly.    Because we are gone during dinner, I am forced to prep dinner earlier in the day.  This saves me from trying to make dinner with a baby on my hip and world war III being fought in the living room.   

The kids are out of the house, some what separated, and even have different people to play with.  I have a chance to take a break and sit and chat with other adults.   We come home, dinner is ready or mostly ready, we eat and the day is almost over. 

Now, I am not going to lie… the occasional rainy day cancellation of practice is often met with a sigh of relief from me.  I don’t mind the occasional lazy afternoon at home.  But, in general, staying busy, oddly keeps us sane.    I think the fact that we home school and we are home together all day is a huge reason why this both works for us and perhaps is more welcomed to us.  If my kids were gone all day at school and I was having to cram dinner, practice, homework, and family time all into the 4 short hours between homecoming and bed, I would be a lot more bitter about our extra curricular activities.   

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know other parents in the community during our years of playing baseball and soccer here.   The kids have all made friends on their teams and now we are at the point where we’ve played long enough that they typically know someone on their team from previous years.   Those whose turn it isn’t for practice are learning valuable “playground skills.”    All this on top of all the valuable lessons they get by playing on a team and learning new skills… not to mention the exercise. 

Some call me crazy, but truth be told, it just works for us.

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