Just Sayin’

In the early days after I had my first child, Jules, I remember thinking that I was the busiest human on the planet. All of the sudden, I was responsible for another person other than myself! I was more than ready for the challenge, as I waited a long time to become a mama. But I definitely remember feeling very overwhelmed and busy.

Today that baby girl is 11 and I have a nine-year-old son. I reflect on their younger years and I see that I was overwhelmed and busy, no doubt about that. But then I laugh a little to myself as I look at where we are today and I’m pretty sure it’s even more chaotic! Once homework, activities and sports entered the picture, the game changed. No pun intended.

I was a cheerleader in high school, but I never played any sports like my kids do. They both play year-round soccer and basketball in the winter. We are always shuffling them to practice, a game or a tournament. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I absolutely love watching them learn, grow, play hard and win awards. 

Sometimes I secretly get very happy when, during a crazy week, a practice gets cancelled; please tell me I’m not the only one. Sometimes I long for a weekend when we can sleep in and stay in PJs all day. But recently, we had a game-free Saturday and, to be totally honest, we didn’t know what to do with ourselves! 

I saw this on social media and I took a screenshot to remind myself to enjoy and treasure these days. It’s all going fast, too fast. 

“To the sports parents spending your weekend carting your players from arena to arena, making sure no uniform gets forgotten, and cheering from the stands for hours, take a few minutes to pause. Between all the chaos, soak it all in. Pay attention to the little details. Savor these days when your young athlete still needs you. Before you know it, your weekends will be your own again and I promise you’ll miss the chaos.” – @changingperspectivesblog

Written by: Jenny Matthews

Jenny Matthews co-hosts The Morning Drive with Mike Kellar + Jenny Matthews on Q104 New Hit Country, weekday mornings from 6 – 10am. Connect at www.jennymatthewsonair.com and check out The Morning After with Mike Kellar + Jenny Matthews podcast!