It takes a village....

I am the oldest of four children.  My sisters and I all played some sort of sport and were involved in a lot of activities (although I can assure you, in my case, I did not play any sport particularly well!)  I think things were a bit different back then, and sports may not have been as time consuming as they are not. But one thing was always true...my parents were always there cheering us on.  Always.  Always, always, always...I really don't remember a time when they were not there.

They say it takes a village to raise a child....for me, it takes a dedicated extended family and a great bunch of parents of the players on my children's team. With two athletes playing competitive sports and both of us working full time jobs with little flex time (except for my summers off), we just cannot make it to everything.  Our goal is to divide and conquer so that one parent is with one of our kids each day, but it becomes harder!!!  I cannot even imagine how it is when the ratio is not 1:1.

What can we do to make them feel good about their sports when it does not work out that we can be there?

LISTEN!  Even if George was at the lacrosse game and I missed it, I make sure I get the play by play later on that day.  I am always amazed by their enthusiasm in telling the highlights, and often find their retelling interesting.  It says a great deal about what they view their role is on the team and how they see themselves in that sport.  LISTEN to your child.

RELY on your village.  I am an amateur photographer who enjoys taking pics at all my kids sporting events...but if I cannot be there, I really try to find someone in the village to take pictures.  I love looking at pictures of my kids through someone else's lens.  I often find that those are the BEST pictures of my child.

ENCOURAGE...I always make sure to call while my child is on the way to a game I will miss.  I remind them to have fun and play hard...that's what it is all about!

What suggestions do you have?  For those moms of more than two, what suggestions do you have to make it all work?