From a Mom

Social Media is a lot of fun for me. It’s a great tool for my business, a venting platform for my tough days, a bragging platform for my wonderful days, and it gives me an opportunity to check out from the daily chaos of my life. In the past few years the Facebook experience has changed significantly though, and something that drives me BAT SHIT CRAZY is when people take something that they didn’t create (a recipe, a meme, a video, a piece of writing) and use it publicly to attract engagement or to go viral, without properly crediting the original owner/creator. And when the original owner is not credited and it’s something totally awesome, innocent people share it and then this beautiful, non credited gift is spread to thousands of people and the creator will never get the high fives they deserve! 

Most recently the greatest thorn in my side has been this wonderful write up, from a ‘hockey parent’ on what they’re really paying for. Read it, it’s lovely. 

FROM A HOCKEY PARENT:

One of my friends asked "Why do you pay so much money for your kids to play hockey?" Well I have a confession to make, I don't pay for my kids' hockey. Personally, I couldn't care less about hockey. (Kinda)
 
So, if I am not paying for hockey, what am I paying for? 

• I pay for those moments when my kids become so tired they want to quit but don't.
• I pay for those days when my kids come home from school and are "too tired" to go their practice but go anyway.
• I pay for my kids to learn to be disciplined.
• I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their body.
• I pay for my kids to learn to work with others and to be good team mates.
• I pay for my kids to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don't get that score they'd hoped for, the C or A on their jersey or the # on their back but still have to work hard anyway.
• I pay for my kids to learn to make and accomplish goals.
• I pay for my kids to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight.
• I pay for the off chance that they may have an amazing coach that will teach them more than just hockey drills but about life
• I pay for the opportunity my kids have and will have to make life-long friendships.
• I pay so that my kids can be in the rink instead of in front of a screen...
• I could go on but, to be short, I don't pay for hockey, I pay for the opportunities that hockey provide my kids with to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment!

Oh, I just love it. Everything this person has written, is so true. But guess what? I saw this exact same thing written about 6 months ago but IT WAS FROM A DANCE PARENT. Do you see what I mean? Give credit where credit is due! Or better yet, come up with your own goodness! Because when people like it and share it and relate to it, it’s far more satisfying! 

LIKE THIS 

FROM A MOM:
 
One of my friends asked, "Why do you put out so much time and effort and money for your kids to do so many extra curricular activities?” Personally, I couldn't care less about the time and effort and money FOR MY KIDS. (Kinda)
 
Here’s why we do it:

• For those moments that my kids are so tired at the end of the day that they go straight to sleep at 8:30 and spend the entire night in their own damn beds.
• I do it for those days when my kids come home from school acting like little a-holes and I get to pass them off to a coach or instructor who they happen to listen to better anyways.
• I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their body because if they don’t make healthy choices and eat properly they will feel sick and weak and they won’t be able to play as well and then they’ll let their team down. They learn to leave the junk food for their Mom.
• We do it so our kid makes friends outside of the school environment because the kid she’s been spending time with at recess sounds like a real shit head.
• I pay for my kids to learn to deal with disappointment, because if they keep giving me sass, they don’t get to go to the pool, the rink, the gym and a Mama’s gotta have that carrot to dangle.
• I do it so that every once in a while, I get an hour or two of sleeping in or silence in the house because everyone else is at the rink and I can drink hot coffee or perfectly chilled wine and eat all the chocolate or the hidden stash of Cheetos.
• I pay for my kids to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight so they better spend all their spare time out in the yard, shooting pucks, dribbling the soccer ball, practicing their cartwheels and generally being out from under my feet while I’m trying to cook supper.
• We do it because for an hour a day, their excellent coaches tend to be better role models than their strung out parents.
• We do it for the opportunity we have to make friendships with activity parents. We don’t get much chance to know the parents from school but our social life majorly expanded when we started spending hours at the rink and or the soccer field. Especially since I readily share my flask.
• I pay so that I can have uninterrupted screen time while my kids are on the rink, in the pool, on the field, in the gym. I will also eat all the cookies.
• I could go on, but in short, we don’t pay, spend all this time, or put in all this effort for my kids just to do the activities. We’re doing it for a friggin break and the kids are definitely better off for it!

So to whomever wrote that first piece that has filled the hearts and justified the thoughts of many parents out there, THANK YOU. You inspired me to write and to share, if only for a brief moment and hopefully you helped me spread some light hearted laughter too!