Let’s Be Sports Real: Every Sports Parent Needs a Mental Break

Let’s be sports real… I write this and part of me wants to laugh... but I think I've made it (lol)

Every parent needs a break.

Not a “I’m going to sit in my car alone in the driveway for 12 minutes before someone needs me” kind of break.

I mean a real break.

A staycation.

A couple of days away.

A night away.

A poolside afternoon.

A lunch with friends where nobody is asking you where their cleats are (this is one of my favorites!)

And let me say this loud for the sports-parent guilt police:

It is NOT a negative thing to take a break. It’s a necessity.

Sometimes you need to clear your brain, breathe, reset and remember that you are a person outside of the sports schedule, school schedule, work schedule and endless list of things that need to get done.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…

“Easy for you to say. Who is going to take care of everything while I’m gone?”

Exactly.

Because getting away as a sports mom is basically a military operation.

Step One: Pick a Date

Okay… do we have games?

Because I’m not purposely missing a game. Nope. Not happening.

Check. 

Step Two: Carpool

Who can get who where they need to be?

Who is going to practice?

Who has a game?

Who needs to be picked up?

Who can ride with a teammate?

Check. 

Step Three: Childcare

Which set of grandparents can come help?

Can both come?

Who is taking care of the kids?

And, because apparently we have added another level of responsibility to our lives…

Who is taking care of the animals? 

Check. 

Step Four: School

Are projects finished?

Is homework caught up?

Is there a major assignment due while I’m gone?

Because the LAST thing I want is to finally be sitting poolside with a drink in my hand and get a text:

“Mom, I have a project due tomorrow.”

Absolutely not.

Check. 

Step Five: The Sports Department

Lay out the uniforms.

Find the cleats.

Find the turfs.

Find the tennis bag.

Make sure everyone has enough clothes.

Make sure all the equipment is where it needs to be.

Because if I leave and someone says, “Mom, I can’t find my…”

I may actually turn the car around.

Check. 

Step Six: The Kitchen

Stock the fridge.

Fill the snack drawer.

Make sure there are enough lunch snacks.

Make sure there is something for after-school hunger.

Basically, leave enough food that you would think we were preparing for a small natural disaster.

Check. 

And FINALLY…

I PACK MYSELF.

And I leave.

Except… I’m Still Mom.

Because here’s the funny thing about a sports-mom getaway:

You don’t actually check out.

Recently, we were able to get away for work, but still and we had just about 24 hours of poolside sunshine, good food and a little time to breathe.

And let me tell you…

It was exactly what my soul needed. 

But there were still welcomed morning phone calls while walking to the bus stop.

(Because apparently sleep is overrated and there is no rest for the weary.) 

Then came the check-ins:

“Did you get home?”

“Did everyone get off the bus?”

“Did you let the dogs out?”

“Are your Chromebooks charged?”

“Did you finish your homework?”

And because my kids arrive home at different times, I’m basically checking in for three straight hours.

Then…

“Did you eat?”

“Where are your sports clothes?”

“Do you have your equipment?”

“Are you ready for practice?”

And then they’re off to their evening activities.

And I’m still checking in.

How was practice?

Did you have fun?

What do you need to do before bed?

And then, of course…

“Goodnight. I miss you.”

Followed by the inevitable:

“I miss you more.” 

So no, a getaway doesn’t mean I completely checked out.

But it does mean I got a little time to breathe.

And sometimes…

that is enough.

But What If You Can’t Get Away?

And I get it.

Maybe a getaway with your spouse isn’t possible right now.

Maybe the schedules don’t line up.

Maybe there are too many sports.

Maybe childcare isn’t an option.

Maybe you’re in a season where leaving just doesn’t work.

I’ve been there.

Last year was especially hard for us. We had a dog at home who was under my hospice care, on top of all the sports and everything else life was throwing at us.

We simply couldn’t make a getaway work. (RIP my sweet Daisy!)

And that’s okay.

Because sometimes your “break” doesn’t have to be a vacation.

Sometimes it can be lunch with another sports mom, again one of my favorites!

A dinner after practice or during practice or simply a walk.

A coffee before the next game.

A girls’ night.

A quick outing.

Or even something as simple as getting a group of moms together for a Galentine’s-themed after-school get-together, like I did, with all of our kiddos included.

Because let’s be honest…

The kids are probably coming anyway. 

And that’s actually the best part.

We don’t have to escape our lives completely to take care of ourselves.

We can build little pockets of breathing room into the lives we already have!

Sports Moms Need Sports Moms!!!!

This is where I think we get it right.

We lean on each other.

We help with carpools.

We grab each other’s kids.

We share snacks.

We text when we’re running late.

We celebrate each other’s kids, some fans probably don't even know which kid is mine sometimes!

We sit together on the sidelines.

We vent.

We laugh.

We say, “Girl, I feel you.”

And sometimes we make plans that have absolutely nothing to do with a scoreboard.

Because strong moms need other strong moms.

And we shouldn’t feel guilty for needing each other.

So if you’ve been feeling burned out lately…

Take the break.

Plan the lunch.

Schedule the dinner.

Book the staycation.

Take the 24 hours.

Sit by the pool.

Drink the coffee while it’s still hot.

Laugh with your girlfriends.

Go somewhere with your spouse if you can.

And if you can’t?

Call your sports mamas.

Because sometimes the reset isn’t about getting away from the chaos.

It’s about finding someone to stand in the chaos with you. 

And let’s be sports real…

Without these active, crazy, amazing kids, we wouldn’t be who we are (This is KEY!)

They may be the reason we’re exhausted…

but they’re also the reason we’re here.

So take care of yourself, mama.

Because you still have plenty of fields to sit beside, games to cheer for, snacks to pack, rides to give and memories to make.

And you deserve to enjoy some of it, too. 

Let’s Be Sports Real