Never did I ever think I would be a sports mom. But here I am. My son is part of a team sport and I am the mom screaming from the stands cheering his team on. I often wonder where my role is compared to the role of the coach. I make sure that my son knows that I love him for finding his joy and practicing to strengthen his abilities. I make sure that it doesn’t matter what I think or anyone else thinks as long as he feels that he is doing his best. He is the only one that knows what he is capable of and he gets to decide how much he brings to the table. As his mom, I don’t have to put pressure on him. I hug him, wipe his tears, listen, and welcome him with open arms. I see other parents adding the pressure and screaming, “Hustle!” or “You can do better!” I see the look on the faces because they aren’t living up to what the parent wants. It breaks my heart. I see winning in many more ways than the scoreboard. I see winning as showing up for yourself and your team and giving your all. I see winning as having a good attitude. I see winning as seeing the strengths of the game. I see winning as not giving up. I want my son to see his growth over the years. These skills will help him in so many other avenues of his life. I am proud that he can lift his teammates up with these skills.

Some encouraging words to say to your child as they approach game time…

• I am excited to see you play

• I love to see you work with your team

• I am proud of you

• Win or lose your hard work is paying off

Some things you can ask your child before game time:

• How are you feeling about the game today?

• What is one area you are going to focus on today?

• What does it feel like when you are playing?

• How does being a part of a team make you feel?

We all benefit from communication and sharing our feelings. To be a safe sounding board is so vital.

I am a believer in visualization and teaching our children this tool. This is a great thing to do before you leave the house or head into the locker room.

Let’s close our eyes and visualize the game. See yourself in the game. See yourself working as a team. See yourself having fun. See yourself celebrating your hard work.

This team he is a part of is like his first job. His coach is his mentor and boss. His teammates are his co-workers. These moments are a teaching moment, a life skill moment.

I will be cheering him on throughout his life! This is the first example of how he will see my support when he is part of something outside of our family! Never did I think I would be a sports mom. I am here and seeing the value. Seeing the gifts as we both learn our new positions!