In our house, the transitions to both back-to-school and back-to-sports have been less than smooth; I feel as if we are always running late (maybe because we are!). At least twice a week, you’ll find me frazzled, hunting for dirty soccer socks lost under the couch and scouring the kitchen for extra bottled water.
Sometimes running children to practice and games and slicing up those oranges just feels like a lot of stress for not much reward, but I know it’s worth the extra work on my part. Sports teaches children to lose – and win – gracefully, work with teammates and frankly, I also appreciate any extra help tiring out my rambunctious boy. Sports also reinforce a strong body image, no small thing when childhood obesity is on the rise.
It’s important to keep in mind the abilities of your young player. Overscheduling young children was one hallmark of the high-pressure ’90s. Although the trend has moved in recent years to a more moderate pace, that itch that you have to book your child to the nth degree is something to keep an eye on. And yet, in a world where children no longer run free-range, and their friends are all too busy with their activities to play, and the other options always seems to be the television or yet another rousing round of Chutes and Ladders (and I can’t face that board again. I just can’t.), forty-five minutes of someone else telling my child to run like a billy goat upon a grassy knoll while I sit? Sign us both up!
Small things that work for us “on the go” include keeping a stash of healthy nonperishable snacks in the car, like granola bars and dried fruit, plus some extra soccer socks for those “can’t find ‘em” emergencies. Sometimes I think I should have a coffeemaker set up in my car, as well. Managing the needs of a young child, with burgeoning school work and sports, plus the needs of other children in household - all that takes both a solid commitment and some crack organizational skills. While I am acceptably organized, I would never claim to be a stickler for a daily set-in-concrete schedule, but it’s late September, and time for me to buckle down. If we don’t get a firm handle on our time now, what will we do when the holidays really make us busy?
A wide range of activity options and the need for supervised play have parents signing up their children for team sports at at earlier age than ever. And that means that you are not alone, frazzled Pee Wee Parent. Households everywhere are getting a little more chaotic.
Posted on September 26th, 2007 by BarbaraCA
Filed under: Uncategorized
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.