Top 10 Lessons Learned from nearly 14 years as a Soccer Mom
Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in life lessons, parenting, sports
When I registered my preschoolers for soccer in the Fall of 1996, I never imagined that I’d be a soccer mom until 2010. My soccer-viewing days ended last Friday when my daughter’s high school team lost in the first round of CIF playoffs. Our soccer experience was sometimes rewarding, and sometimes frustrating, but always an adventure.
Along the way, I learned or confirmed the following lessons:
- Don’t become the frog in boiling water. If someone had told us how much club soccer would impact our family, we may not have chosen to do it. Instead, the warm water just got hotter and hotter.
- Find your niche. I had no interest in being a referee, but I loved making AYSO team banners.
- Even though it’s hard to make a banner of a hyena, whatever you design will be ok since no one’s sure what a hyena looks like. Use lots of fur. Best mascot ever.
- Don’t question the refs. They’re trying hard, and they’re no more perfect than anyone else. Complaining won’t change the call, and it’ll just make things stressful.
- Expect little, so you won’t be disappointed.
- Get a chair with a built-in umbrella.
- Kids don’t need snacks at the end of the game. But they like them as long as they’re not healthy.
- Always carry a blanket, extra water and a first-aid kit in the car.
- Bad coaches don’t get better.
- Sports aren’t as enjoyable when winning becomes more important than having a good time.
My daughter says that she learned:
- You should always work really hard, but
- Hard work won’t always pay off, but
- It’s worth it when you love the sport.
- How to get along with all sorts of people.
- How to deal with all sorts of coaches, which has helped her to adapt to different teachers, and some day, bosses.
- How to be a team player.
Those are good lessons.
Would I do it over again? Only if the kids wanted to. They probably would.
Good lessons for me to read since I am on the beginning part of this curve i.e. the water is still quite cool. I’ll let you know if I end up a boiled frog. BTW, I love the frog in the pot analogy/story and am always glad for a new application of it.
oh, my gosh, Kathy! Todd and I had serious withdrawals after retiring as soccer parents…We figured Todd has coached close to 50 teams (mainly soccer and mainly HYENAS, yeeeeeeyeeeeeeyeeee, as you know), and they were the most incredibly difficult banners cuz absolutely no one but our artist friend, Johnny, knew what one REALLY looked like…BUT back to my original point…life after team sports…I do a lot of other stuff. simple as that!! loved it when I did it! don’t miss it that much anymore!!
omg! i love it. water polo families are just the same. i still miss it – the car full of boys and driving thru in-and-out every weekend. and the girls in the back seat talk-talk-talking. some of the best times i’ve every spent with my kids. we had good coaches and bad coaches, good parents and bad parents. we witnessed all kinds of adult behavior. we still talk about those lessons and relate them to people the kids meet now.it was a great experience for our family.