What To Do When Mother’s Day Isn’t About You?
There’s much discussion among youth sports pundits about whether travel ball is good for young athletes. But from what I can tell, it’s not going away anytime soon. If your child is entrenched in the world of travel sports, then your weekends are not your own and there is a very good chance that your Mother’s Day will be spent in a gym sitting on hard bleachers or outside in a chair on the sidelines.
Between our three kids–two played travel basketball, one played travel softball, and one played travel volleyball–we had a total of 9 consecutive years with weekend sports overload. And on more than one occasion I spent my Mother’s Day watching my daughters and/or my son compete. As a mother, this can cause an internal dilemma. It’s MY day, my ONE day to be revered, appreciated, and spoiled. And this is how I will spend it? Sitting on hard seats, eating quick meals, and driving long distances? It’s enough to make any mother pout. The first time that I was forced to give up my mother’s day, it was for an out-of-town basketball tournament. I remember seeing the schedule and thinking,
What? A tournament on Mother’s Day? Hold on just a minute!
At this point, I was faced with a choice.
- Be a martyr and suffer through it. I’m really good at this.
- Refuse to go and spend the day alone. Actually, maybe that’s not such a bad idea….
- Go and enjoy it.
I decided to suck it up and choose option #3. And in the process I learned something. As a mom of three athletes, one of my greatest joys is to watch my kids play sports. So what better way than to spend my day doing something that I love to do? What better way to celebrate the fact that I am blessed with three great kids than to go do a really mom thing and support them as they compete?
If your kids are still in the travel sport stage of life, I encourage you, Mom, to look at Mother’s Day tournament weekends as a opportunity to celebrate the blessings of being a mom. There will be plenty of time down the road for them to spoil you and make you cry with cards and presents that express their appreciation for all you’ve sacrificed. Go and enjoy it. And after you have, please leave a comment below to tell me how your weekend was.
Happy Mother’s Day!
