Welcome to my first installation of “Patio Chat”. I realized that part of the reason I started this blog was to be cathartic for me. So there are elements of this adventurous life of mine that sometimes I just want to vent about or share. As you know I love nature and my favorite place to go and reflect with a cup of hot tea or adult hot cocoa or wine is my patio. So grab yourself a cup of something and join me for an occasional chat on my patio.
I want to go all the places and see all the things but as a single mom sometimes I have to accept that my time has limitations. Recent events have made those limitations even more stringent than they have been in the past. It sucks because football, my favorite sport in the whole wide world, is ruining my life.
Ok perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It’s not really ruining my life but it is currently a big pain in the butt. My last relationship was with a guy who coached high school football. He lived and breathed it and his dad was the head coach, so football has been first his whole entire life. First even before life and death seemingly at times. My son has been playing football and other organized sports since he was just 4 year old so I’m no stranger to sacrifice and juggling your time. But high school football is a different beast altogether. Now that my son is playing varsity high school football, I know what to expect because the last 3 1/2 years I was told ‘no’ by my ex all the time when I tried to make plans during football season. The difference was that his no only meant no for him; it wasn’t really no for me. If he couldn’t do something then I just did it without him.
However, with my son I can’t do that. If my son has to be here then so do I. I’m the only active parent so I don’t have anyone to share those duties with. You may be thinking what’s the big deal? It’s just a few months. Ahh, and that’s the rub. It’s soooo not just a few months. Regular season can last from August to the first week of November for most teams. However if you are like his team and you make it to the playoffs you can keep playing all the way into December if you happen to make it to the state finals. Right now, the fate of our Thanksgiving plans hangs in the balance. They play their 2nd round playoff game tonight and if they pull off this upset win then there goes our trip to Dallas for the holidays. They will have practice during the week even though there is no school and a game the day after the holiday. Heavy sigh. I suppose I can’t root for them to lose tonight. That would definitely make me a bad mommy.
There’s also spring football and conditioning and spring camps and 7 on 7 and summer conditioning. At this level if he really wants to chase this dream of playing at a collegiate level it’s going to require him to put in some serious work to separate himself from everyone else and move into the elite status of high school athletes. That means I can’t really plan things too far in advance without knowing his availability.
For some families an annual vacation is the norm but that hasn’t been the norm for us. I try to sneak in getaways as often as my wallet will allow. But all of that is coming to a screeching halt. I love my son and I would gladly give up my life for him and if he wants to chase this dream then I will support him 100%. It’s just a sobering reality that I’m finally coming to grips with. It’s going to be a challenge now to make time for adventure but I’m sure we can manage it and find a balance.
Go Eagles. I guess??
**UPDATE** – They almost pulled it off, but alas they didn’t win. I was really torn up about it. *wink wink* We were able to visit family in Dallas for Thanksgiving afterall!
Are there any other sports moms or moms of busy kids that feel like your kids’ extracurricular activities thwart your plans? Let me know if you feel my pain in the comments!
Lauren G. , Outdoorsy Diva™
“Adventure is a lifestyle.”
No Comments