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Confessions of a Sports Parent: The Scoreboard
Happy New Year to you and your family. As the holidays have come and gone, and most of us are back into our routines, it can only mean one thing…back to driving our kids all over creation to their respective sporting events. As a result, I thought it would be fun to resume writing about the random thoughts I sometimes have while sitting on a sideline as a parent. This week, I find myself musing over a topic that always brings about a heated debate among parents and organizations. That is the debate surrounding the scoreboard. How important is it? What does it mean? Is it even needed? Is it…
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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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Let’s Dance
I have not done much dancing of late. I’m afraid my days of getting down doing the running man or moonwalk have passed by. That said, I couldn’t help but dance this week to a different tune. There is no secret how these times have been mentally taxing for so many of us. No role, occupation, or vocation has been spared. This week, we got some bad news regarding the health of one of our sons. Nothing serious, but heartbreaking for him nonetheless, as it will most likely prevent him from participating in his favorite sport for the foreseeable future. A participation that has been so critical for the mental…
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Now More Than Ever, We Need the Wisdom of Sports
Sports have returned for the most part after being shut down due to Covid-19. From International and National Football (soccer) to MLB, NBA, and Golf, games have at least returned for our viewing pleasure on TV. Although there is much that is different due to all of the necessary health protocols, the essence of sports, competition, and what it means to be a part of a team, a fan is back. It might be helpful to revisit some of those truths for a moment in light of our current culture. Detachment I love sports, from competing to watching them as a fan to now being a father of children who…
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High School Sports Hall of Fame
There is an underlying reality to our lives that is always present but can only be seen clearly through the eyes of time. It is a reality in which no one else can claim because it is our own to grasp. It is the individual story of our lives. For no one has breathed the air meant for us. No one has walked our footsteps. Although there will always be similarities to the experiences of our lives, there will never be complete symmetry. Our lives are exclusively ours. They are ours to learn from. To own. To live. I recently went home for a short but humble visit back to…
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Man vs. Nature
There is something innate about the human person that when we find ourselves face to face with nature we believe we can conquer it. We believe we can win. Maybe it is ego. Maybe it is just human nature or more a “guy” thing. Or maybe it is the result of the first fall. Never the less, time and time again when we confront nature in its purest form we soon realize that we can never conquer that which is unmovable. Unconquerable. That which is undefeated. This is where I have found grace time and time again. And it is also why I continue to confront it. The humility that…
