As a parent, I feel like I’m always learning and being challenged. It started with picking the perfect name before our kids were born, and slowly the challenges have been growing over the years – to potty training, and eventually school.
Along with those milestones, there comes the time when your child gets involved in extra curricular activities. And like so many other times, before I became a parent I vowed not to be THAT parent.
I didn’t want to be the parent that overscheduled my kids, the one that was on the go every day of the week. I wanted to let my kids simply be kids.
Well, for the past two weeks, I certainly feel like THAT parent. Although I have no clue of the dedication that being a hockey or dance parent involves, my oldest son appears to have a rather full schedule, which keeps us on the go at least four days a week.
On Mondays we have karate and soccer – although we have yet to make it to both of those activities in one day. Then, Tuesdays we have guitar lessons, followed by soccer again on Wednesday, and karate on Thursday.
Thankfully, unless he’s exceptionally tired, the kid is more than happy to go to any of the activities, and he wants to be involved in even more things next year. I have agreed to be a partial-hockey parent next season. Thankfully pond hockey exists and I’m actually looking forward to spending some time in the arena with him.
In the past year and a half, we’ve attempted to put our younger, four-year-old son into some extra curriculars also. But, when they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, they aren’t lying.
Just like his dad, our youngest son pretty much despises most anything that involves specific directions and leaving the house. Gymnastics was a bust, and karate proved to be much more challenging than I anticipated.
The only thing he seems to have an interest in is wanting to learn how to skate, which I suspect has something to do with his obsession with the Disney movie Frozen. His request is a little off season, but if he still decides he wants to “dance on the ice” when the mercury starts to dip back down, I guess I will be spending even more time in the arena than I thought.
I also didn’t think I would be the competitive parent. Our oldest son is likely the least competitive person I know, but watching him play soccer is almost painful. He would much rather see his friends handle the ball and score than do it himself. I realized my inner competitor needed to hold back a little when I experienced something of a parenting fail the other night after soccer practice.
I thought I was simply explaining to my son that he should be a little more aggressive and actually go for the ball, when I heard a few quiet sniffles from the back seat of the truck - I had just made my eight-year-old son cry.
Finding the balance between encouraging your child to do his or her best, and simply being that crazy, yelling soccer parent appears to be tougher than I thought it would be.
I stumbled over my words to try to make amends that night, and realized that although my kid might not have much competitive drive, he certainly doesn’t lack compassion. Being one of the older kids on his team, he told me he was worried he would hurt the other, smaller kids if he tried to get the ball from them.
The kid may not have a career as a professional athlete in his future, but I’m pretty sure his sensitivity and consideration for others will lead him in an even better direction.
