Sidelines

For those of us who have "little athletes" we become quite accustomed to our place standing on the sideline of this sport or that. Between Will and Jordan we spend many, many, many of our days standing, cheering and waiting on the sideline of a soccer, football, lacrosse or track field. Some days it sucks. The girls are rammy and bored. It's cold or hot or rainy or snowy. We are well past dinner time but the coach wants to press on. But on other days it is like being part of a tiny little family. As the boys go through their sports we find ourselves "sidelined" with the same parents and siblings. My girls have made very good friends with the other kids hanging out on the sidelines. I know the other parents very well. We spend our sideline time whining, venting, complaining about the ins and outs of our lives. The inability to get our kids fed before getting on the field. The exhaustion at driving from one sport to another to have all your kids in the right place. It becomes a brotherhood of sorts.

I grew up as an athlete so I was the one on the field. I never knew about the "other side" of sports. The packing, the planning, the taxiing, the very different kind of dedication. I really had no idea that when you sign your kid up for that local rec. council sport you were signing your family up for a lifetime of sideline living.