MomsTalk: Navigating Sons', Dad's Sports Schedules

The crack of a little league bat, the clatter of  soccer cleats on the front porch, the crunch of the lacrosse stick you just backed your car over in the driveway.These are the sounds of spring for many McLean families with children.

Spring sports and activities are in full bloom and families all around town are wondering -”Where did all this equipment the garage come from and will I ever be able to fit my car in here again?” For parents, nothing is more fun than watching your child dancing the lead in the ballet recital, pitching a shut-out, or kicking the winning goal. Many parents would happily suspend all other activities (like work, laundry, cooking) and become full-time fans or coaches for the duration of the spring sports season. Alas, bills have to be paid, our star athletes need to be fed regularly and clothes (uniforms at least!) must be washed occasionally.

The McLean Patch Mom’s discuss the challenges of helping their families juggle spring sports/activities, school , homework, and all the other things that just ,some how, must get done!

Alison Senold, McLean resident, married, mother of two boys.

My husband and youngest son are the kind of guys that love ALL sports, but I think its safe to say that baseball is their favorite. Every spring and early summer, our family life seems to revolves around the McLean Little League  schedule and whatever adult league my husband is playing with that year. My older son’s schedule of  martial arts stays consistent through out the seasons but that still means that each spring we have  three sports schedules to juggle.

We made a rule early on that the boys could only sign up for one sport or activity at a time. It can be difficult to stick to that rule, but every time we bend it, I'm reminded of why we instituted the rule in the first place. Whenever we over commit, the signs of stress in the family are unmistakable. The shortage of energy and patience for homework and chores and the shortage of time for friends and family makes all of us cranky. We end up just waiting for the sports season to end and that takes alot of the fun out of it for all of us.

On the  other hand, watching my kids play sports, music,act or do whatever they love is one of the best parts of being a parent. Sometimes it feels like the reward for enduring the less "glamorous" aspects of parenting ( sleepless nights, mysterious fevers, homework battles - I could go on). So during baseball season, I'm happy to serve cereal for dinner, let bedtime slide a bit and maybe even let everyone wear dirty socks when the laundry schedule and the game schedule conflict.

The problem there seems to be no solution for are those times when the kids' activities conflict with one another. Obviously we carpool or my husband and I “divide and conquer”, but I hate having to hear about a walk-off home run or some other glorious moment after the fact!