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Confessions of a Sports Parent: The Parent Zone
If you are anything like me, I sometimes lose sight that my boy’s childhood is flying by. We go from one season to the next, making it difficult to enjoy the time right in front of us entirely. It is hard to stay in the moment and present, knowing the next game, season, or sport is coming right around the corner. That said, whenever I do catch myself adrift from the moment, I try to approach each game or match with the end in sight. It sounds contradicting, but it has helped me stay in the present. One of the interior freedoms that occur after mid-life is the ability to…
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Confessions of a Sports Parent: Sports Wounds
(This is the second part of the series, it might be helpful to read the first here) We have all heard flight attendants say to adults and caregivers, especially parents, to be sure to apply your oxygen mask first before helping others. The thought, of course, is if you run out of oxygen yourself, you can’t help anyone else with theirs, especially children. That is a good image for me when I try to stay balanced as a sports parent. When I find myself out of balance, it usually happens when my old sports wounds, fears, or anxieties rear their ugly heads. I refer to these things as my shadows.…
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Confessions of a Sports Parent: Sports Balance
We know there is no rule book for those of us who are parents. We learn on the fly, with many cultural influences affecting our decisions and values. Not to mention our personal history, both positive and negative. Furthermore, for those of us who have children playing sports, the same premise exists…there isn’t a rule book, yet the same influences exist. Gone are the days of signing up at your local league, and you play a season for just that team alone. The rise of travel and specialization has changed the landscape of youth sports. As a result, most of us are trying to navigate an ever-changing world of youth…
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45 and the Mid-Life Brisk Walk
I recently turned 45 years old. Officially, “mid-life territory,” as I was reminded ever so gently. Although hearing this non-disputable truth gave a bit of a sting to my ego, my soul had known for years that mid-life was upon me. We, adults, are not too different from children. I don’t know how often I have to remind my boys to clean up their trash from the basement or put their clothes away in their rooms. Or my personal favorite, “the dishwasher is dirty; why don’t you throw your bowl in there while you’re at it…thank you very much.” We all know the saying, if I’ve told you…
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A Scandalous Christmas
We certainly have become accustomed to reading about scandal in the 24-hour news cycle world that we live in. Whether political scandals, celebrity scandals, or the scandals we like to talk about in our small communities, we have become addicted to them somehow, and I’m not sure that is a good thing. That said, every year on December 25th, we arguably celebrate the most scandalous story ever told. Over the years, we seem to have domesticated the Nativity story in many ways. I am as guilty as anyone. We paint the picture through our “nice,” often middle-class, everyday lives. Not to say that any of that is terrible. I heard…
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Some Random Thoughts at 44
Every year around my birthday, I love to come up with random thoughts that strike me at this stage of my life. As I reviewed what I came up with last year, I realized how much I am still in the same mindset. (I’m not sure that is a good or bad thing.). So with a few add-ons and clarifications (all in bold)…here are a few things that strike me this year: Seeing the world upside down is seeing it right side up. Thank you, St. Peter. (From this perspective, perceived loss is a gain, perceived weakness is strength, and true greatness is found in humility. ) Sinatra’s album, Nice…
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Two Choices
Watching my two boys climb rocks a few weeks ago in Maine brought a profound sense of gratitude and reflection. Grateful to be their father. Reflective because I tried to understand how they see the world, specifically me, as their father, something I must admit I rarely ever think about. As adults, our lives, rightly so, are filled with significant responsibilities, so it is difficult to stop and see the perspective that our children have towards us. As a parent, we do what we do, day in and day out, and rarely think about the impact our presence has on our children. We are the caregivers, the ones in charge,…
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Coming Out of Hibernation
As we come out of hibernation due to the lockdowns, is anyone else feeling a bit overwhelmed dealing with other people again? I feel like my patience is razor-thin when it comes to interacting with others in any capacity. Don’t get me wrong, being around, conversing with, and engaging with real live people has been wonderful; that said, my patience is fried already. One area of concern I have noticed is the complete chaos on the roads. I think we all are a bit rusty when it comes to four-way stop signs, driving in the passing lanes on the highway, and just overall driving skills. What in the world is…
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Facebook, Beauty, and Good Friday
I don’t find myself on Facebook much these days; when I am on, I love the memories that pop up on my feed here and there. You know the ones, 3 years ago today you were here…7 years ago today you posted this, etc. Last Friday, my Facebook memory was from 5 years ago in Venice, Italy. More specifically, it was a video that I had posted inside St. Mark’s Basilica during the Good Friday Celebration of the Lord’s Passion. After not sleeping last night, here are a few things that kept me up all night about the video and the significance of this day, this Good Friday 2021. What…
