Let’s Be Sports Real: One Day, We’re Going to Miss This Chaos

Running all weekend is exhausting.

And let’s be real… it’s exhausting after running from practice to practice all week, getting kids to school, getting yourself to work, attempting to feed everyone something that resembles dinner, remembering who needs what equipment, and somehow keeping everyone alive and somewhat clean.

Then the weekend comes and you’re like, “Okay, here we go again!”

Another field.

Another gym.

Another tournament.

Another early morning.

Another cooler packed.

Another car full of sports gear.

And another ridiculous amount of dirt in my car. 

But just this past week, my oldest daughter sent me a reel that really hit me.

Because these days are A LOT.

They’re stressful. They’re chaotic. They’re exhausting. And sometimes I feel like I’m constantly trying to put the puzzle pieces of our lives together. Who needs to be where? What time? Who is bringing which kid? What are we eating? Did anyone remember their cleats? Where is the water bottle? WHY IS THERE DIRT EVERYWHERE?!

But then I had this thought…

One day, the car is going to be empty.

One day, I’m going to drive past a baseball field and not have anywhere to be.

One day, dinner might actually happen at a normal time.

One day, I won’t have bags of uniforms, balls, shoes, blankets and random sports crap taking over my car.

And honestly?

I’m going to miss it.

I’m going to miss the running.

I’m going to miss the chaos.

I’m going to miss the early mornings.

I’m going to miss sitting on those uncomfortable bleachers.

I’m probably even going to miss all that damn dirt in my car.

Because most of the time, all of this running around is actually time with our kids.

Sometimes it’s one-on-one time.

Sometimes it’s 30 minutes in the car when they finally decide to open up about what’s going on in their world.

You get to hear about their friends.

Their drama.

Their dreams.

Their worries.

Their favorite songs.

Their “hype” music — which, apparently, I learned a LOT about this weekend.

You get little pieces of who they are becoming.

And those conversations? Those random moments between practices and games?

Those are the moments I want to remember.

So maybe we need to slow down just a little.

Maybe instead of constantly thinking about how crazy our schedules are, we need to remind ourselves that someday… we’re going to wish we could have one more crazy weekend.

One more drive.

One more tournament.

One more practice.

One more “Mom, can you take me…”

One more “Mom, can you throw or dribble with me…”

One more muddy uniform.

One more song blasting from the backseat.

One more conversation that starts with, “Mom, can I tell you something?”

Just writing this post brings tears to my eyes because the truth is…

I’m not ready to let any of this go.

I know there will come a time when my kids won’t need me to drive them everywhere. They won’t need me sitting on the sidelines. They won’t need me packing the snacks or reminding them where their shoes are.

And when that time comes, I’ll probably look back and realize that these crazy, exhausting, beautiful days were some of the best days of my life.

So, sports mamas…

Keep pushing forward. 

Yes, it’s exhausting.

Yes, it’s stressful.

Yes, sometimes you’re eating dinner in the car and wondering if you’ll ever have a clean vehicle again.

But relish it.

Slow down when you can.

Put the phone down.

Listen to the music they’re obsessed with.

Ask questions.

Take the long way home once in a while.

And soak up those little moments because they are happening right now.

As Andy Bernard so perfectly said in The Office:

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

Maybe these are the good old days.

Maybe the chaos is the good stuff.

And maybe someday, when the car is empty and the schedule is quiet, we’ll wish we could have just one more weekend of it all.

So, for now…

Bring on the practices.

Bring on the tournaments.

Bring on the dirt.

Bring on the chaos.

I’m not ready to let it go. 

Let’s be sports real mamas… these days are exhausting, but they’re also pretty damn special!