I am really happy that both of my kids are active in sports this year.
Sports are great for both physical and mental health. I think we all know that by now. My son is on his school’s track team and is trying out a bunch of different events, which is great. My daughter decided to participate in Girls on the Run because her friends were doing it. Great! I’m proud of their efforts and have told them so.
However, even though I’m glad they’re playing sports, I don’t want to watch my kids’ sports events.
Let’s be honest. Watching other people run is really boring. I went to a couple of my son’s cross country meets in the fall and was bored out of my mind. Cross country meets involve a lot of waiting around before anything starts. Then there is 30 seconds of excited cheering as everyone crosses the starting line. Then the runners are out of sight on the course, usually for the rest of the race. Parents and unfortunate siblings are stuck waiting around until everyone eventually makes it back to the finish line. It’s just not that exciting. You also have to wait around until your kids cool down and gather up all their possessions, which are usually strewn all over creation.
Also, kids’ sports events tend to occur at the most inconvenient times.
For example, my son’s track meets start at 4:15pm on weeknights. There’s no bus, so I have to drive him to all the away meets. In general, these meets are expected to last from 3 to 3.5 hours, but they have been known to go longer. Just when am I supposed to feed everyone supper? I honestly don’t know how this is supposed to work. My plan right now is to send my son with a Lunchable and snacks while I sneak away from the track meets to find my own dinner somewhere. My husband and daughter at home are on their own. They can eat a big bowl of ice cream and call it dinner for all I care.
Also, I have two kids who play sports and they often need to be in two separate places at the exact same time. I feel like I could use a clone of myself!
Maybe I would feel differently if I liked watching sports, but I don’t.
I have never enjoyed watching sports. I used to take a book with me when my family would drag me to watch MLB baseball games. I didn’t mind getting dragged along to my brother’s indoor soccer games, but that was only because I could walk around the indoor track and get in my exercise for the day. I have never been a person who can sit and do nothing, which is what watching sports feels like to me. If professional athletes fail to keep my interest, local tweens stand no chance.
Yes, I will still go and watch my kids’ events.
I love my kids and I want to support them. I won’t enjoy watching their sports events though. I’m even volunteering to help out at two of my son’s home track meets this year. Honestly, it feels like some boring chore that I just have to get through. I want to help out and it’s the right thing to do, so I will suck it up and do it. I will even wear a smile on my face. On the inside, though, I will be counting down the minutes until it’s over and I can get back to my regularly scheduled life.
Am I the only person who can admit to not wanting to watch my kids’ sports events? How do you feel about it?
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