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in Episodes on September 1, 2015 by The Mom Hour

Let’s Discuss “Sports Parenting”: Episode 18



Meagan has never identified as a “sports parent,” but this fall she has four kids in four different sports. Sarah is still learning to find the balance between protecting precious time at home and allowing her younger kids to explore different activities. Listen to Episode 18 as we confess some of our (admittedly curmudgeonly) opinions on sports and activity parenting as well as some of the ways we’ve found to encourage our kids in their activities without letting go of our commitment to family time in the evenings.

LINKS MENTIONED:

  • ‘I love to Watch You Play’ but Not Every Game (Sharon Holbrook for The New York Times Motherlode blog)
  • Minimalist Parenting, authored by our friends Asha and Christine

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Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: big kids

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« Back-to-School, The Easy Way: Episode 17
Things We Shouldn’t Have Freaked Out About (As New Moms): Episode 19 »

Comments

  1. Dayna says

    September 2, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    As always I have comments before I even finish the podcast! Thank you for your encouragement. I had been on the fence about signing my son up for an after school sports class. It isn’t a team, just teaching the basics. The one he wanted (a combo of baseball, soccer, and basketball) is offered at another school in the district and starts 5 mins after school is dismissed (I called, it’s a safety thing..whatever!)

    So I sat him down and talked about our family values (spending time together) and said “flag football and basketball are offered at your school what one? It is also ok to skip it altogether” He picked football. So I don’t have to drive him ANYWHERE! AND it is only 6 weeks. Happy dance! We may experiment with him walking home or meeting half way.

    So thanks for encouraging me/giving me permission/reminding me to prioritize the family’s needs as a whole.

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      September 3, 2015 at 8:12 pm

      Dayna, this comment is so great! I am thankful our conversation had a real impact on your family this week. What an honor!

      Also, as I mentioned in the show, I’m such a huge fan of the after school programs because you don’t have to drive them anywhere (or drag siblings along) AND they tend to be short-term and affordable! My 2nd grader is going to try chess this session. 🙂

      Reply
    • Heather says

      September 7, 2015 at 10:56 pm

      The after school activities are the best! I love them because they take much less family time than other activities.

      Reply
  2. Liz says

    September 3, 2015 at 6:12 pm

    Loved the conversation today! I still only have a little one, so we are far from the age of acitvities. I am a coach though and I have to say I agree that it is so nice when kids start to take responsibility about asking questions. It is also so important that we all follow through on our commitments. It is so frustrating in team sports when parents commit their children and then decide they will not follow through the season. It jeopardizes the whole team when kids drop out and we barely have enough to play. It doesn’t allow kids to miss when they do have important family events and makes things more stressful. So please follow through once you sign up, I think it’s a good skill to teach your kids anyway. But I am going to step down from my soap box now and say I loved the show and just wanted to throw in my two cents.

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      September 3, 2015 at 8:11 pm

      Liz, that’s such a great point from the coach’s perspective. When we sign up for too much, or commit to things that our heart just isn’t in, it’s easy to flake. Especially at the young ages when kids need our help to get there and do all the things they’re supposed to do. Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment!

      (And what do you mean – you don’t have your BABY signed up for competitive baby sports yet? 😉 KIDDING)

      Reply
  3. Julie says

    September 4, 2015 at 12:58 am

    Another coach here, wanting to out in my two cents.
    I agree with Liz – committing and finishing out a season is so important, although of course if there are big events, there is leeway for that.
    Regarding making the kids responsible – I ALWAYS insisted that the athletes communicate with me. They are on the tea, not their parents. Granted I was working with high schoolers, but I would text, email, etc. the players and not the parents. Just good life lessons for them to learn. I did always have a parent meeting at the beginning of the season to let the parents know that they were welcome to contact me, but that I would be mostly interacting with their child directly.
    Lastly, I did not allow parents at practice, so it is crazy to me to think that it would be “a thing” that parents do, and that you would be looked down upon if you don’t go! Unless you are helping out with your kids little league practice, I say stay home and let the child and coach so their thing. I’m with you, Megan!!

    Loved this episode and love the perspective as I now have my own little one to start figuring out how we will approach these things!

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      September 4, 2015 at 3:17 am

      Thanks, Julie! Really helpful to hear this from your perspective!

      Reply
  4. Val says

    September 7, 2015 at 3:46 am

    Best podcast ever! In our town’s culture, we feel like our child will be “left behind” if we don’t put him in a travel sport vs. rec sport by age 9. It was so great to hear your perspectives and voices of reason. It’s hard not to get caught up in the craziness of competitive sports here. Thank you for helping to remind me to do what is best for my child and it will all work out.

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      September 16, 2015 at 7:58 pm

      Thank you, Val! What kind words! So glad you found this one helpful. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Helen Simmons says

    September 10, 2015 at 7:52 am

    Thanks Sarah, love your discussion as always.

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      September 16, 2015 at 7:57 pm

      Thanks, Helen! That means a lot! 🙂

      Reply

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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

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Thank you for checking out our partners and using our links + codes!

Shoutout to our new & featured partners:
🎙️ @amazonmusic (listen to all your favorite podcasts!)
🎧 @pinnaaudio (50% off safe podcasts, stories, and music for kids!) 
👗 @stitchfix ($20 off your first purchase of styles you'll love!)
🤖 @kiwico_inc (50% your first month + free shipping!)

And welcome back . . .
⭐ @hellofresh (50% off America's #1 meal kit!)
⭐ @rakuten (save $ when you shop!)
⭐ @scholasticinc (books for kids of all ages!)
⭐ @minted (art, cards, decor & more!)
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⭐ @fabletics (2 workout bottoms for $24!)
⭐ @todoistofficial (2 mo. free of Todoist Pro!)
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This week's episode has elicited more comments and This week's episode has elicited more comments and emails than we've gotten in a LONG TIME. We're so glad the topic touched a nerve and appreciate every one of the notes we've received.

Speaking of "doneness" and all the feels about moving out of the baby-having years, this result from our listener survey surprised us. 72% of listeners who responded to the question about plans to grow their families said they are totally done. This is a big jump from previous surveys where we asked the same question (in 2021 59% said they were done; in 2019 47%).

If you haven't taken our survey yet, please do! Click this image at the link in our bio, or type themomhour.com/survey into any browser. Thanks, friends!
Did you know we have travel guides on our website Did you know we have travel guides on our website for NINE different U.S. cities (and counting!)? Our contributors hail from all over the country and know the best playgrounds, coffee shops, and family-friendly activities to make your summer travels more joyful and less stressful.

Our Chicagoland guide comes from @thepaperdart, who lives in SoCal now but hails from the Windy City originally. She has a guide FULL of mom-tested ideas for bringing kids to Chicago and surrounding areas. Click this image at the link in our bio to read Katherine's post, and get all the guides at themomhour.com/travel!

#chicagowithkids #travelwithkids #summer2023 #summertravel #windycitykids #windycitymoms #chicagolandwithkids #chicagomoms #chicago
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Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
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Escape your busy routine and spread out along 825 miles of beaches, 700 freshwater springs and over 1300 trails with breathing room to run and play. Discover new experiences in the most comfortable place to get out of your comfort zone, only on a family vacation in Florida. (It’s just the best.)

Start planning your Florida vacation and learn more about all the places to go by clicking on this image at the link in our bio. 🏝️ And thanks for supporting the brands that support our show! @visitflorida #VisitFlorida #LoveFL
New episode! A parent of three is exhausted by di New episode!

A parent of three is exhausted by dinnertime sillies and wants help steering conversation at the family table. A stay-at-home mom asks what to do when her child says, "don't tell dad I got in trouble at school!". And a parent of a tween who wants acrylic nails asks a bigger question about letting kids alter their appearance in general. Meagan and Sarah tackle tricky parenting challenges with our best attempts at nuance, compassion, and humor in today's episode.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
Looking to enrich your home library with nature-in Looking to enrich your home library with nature-inspired children's books? Sandy Hsu (@hopefulsmiles) has a roundup on the blog this week with beautiful book series that bring science and nature to life with compelling visuals. Check it out by clicking this image at the link in our bio!
New episode! Happy Mother's Day! Meagan thought i New episode!

Happy Mother's Day! Meagan thought it would be fun to surprise Sarah with an episode full of lightning-round-style "this or that" questions and "would you rather" head-scratchers. Join us for lots of laughs, silly questions and tons of fun! If you've been listening for a while you know that we're chronically lightning-round-challenged. Find out if we answer all the questions before the buzzer goes off! 

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast#podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast#podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts

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