Help! I’m panicking over MS sports!
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Anonymous
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*Please don’t attack me! I will support my child, but my feelings are my feelings!
I’m a bookish/artsy introverted mom whose middle school child has (finally) taken an interest in sports! And I’m panicking. I mostly parent alone (military family) and this all feels daunting. As you know, the practices are nearly every day, games once a week, for months at a time. We’ve dabbled in rec sports but those weren’t the commitment that is being on an actual middle school team. Our evenings are already hectic enough, homework and evening routine being our biggest struggle, and this adds a new layer I’m having a hard time processing. Please, give me all your advice. I’m listening! |
Anonymous
| What are you asking? What’s the problem? |
Anonymous
Tips for smooth evenings, transitioning into this new schedule (they don’t have transportation), making it all work with other kids and while solo parenting. I’m just feeling very overwhelmed. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
I mean, figure out your carpooling options. Then decide to commit, or not. This really is a situation where it is what it is. |
Anonymous
How can you have kids join in on sports if you have no transportation? |
Anonymous
The school offers no transportation. |
Anonymous
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How far of a drive is it to school to pick him up? Practice is usually over by 5/530pm so it's not like your whole evening is shot.
Most sports have an off day (for XC it happens to be Th) so that's our "slow" day. YMMV. If your kid has to wait 10/15 min for you NC you're en route with siblings and their activities so be it. It's NBD. My kid is done at 515pm, but she knows I can't get there before 530 to pick her up bc of younger sibling's soccer practice so she hangs out by the bench (w/ 2 other kids in the same boat). She has a cell phone so it's easy to text/call to touch base. Also carpool if possible. -solo parent comisserating |
Anonymous
I can’t commit to driving other kids because my car is full of my own children, who will have to come to games/pickups with me. I hate that I sound insane, but it just feels stressful! |
Anonymous
Right, no school does. I’ve never had the school transport. |
Anonymous
| I’m not sure what county you are in or what sport your child is interested in. In MCPS MS sports weren’t a huge commitment for us. My son played soccer. Practices and games were immediately after school. It was 3 days a week total. There was an activity bus that provided transportation home after practices. We did have to bring home from games but my son was home before dinner and some families carpooled. It didn’t really interfere with dinner or homework. Soccer was a spring sport. It was only open to 7th and 8th graders and there were many more kids trying out than roster spots. They also offered softball, basketball and I think track. Someone else can probably chime in on those but I’m pretty sure they are also right after school. |
Anonymous
You think the school is going to pick them up and drop them off at home? |
Anonymous
What prompted this post was an email today saying if we aren’t prompt at pickup, kids will be dropped from the team. My younger kids are barely out of school by the time MS practice here is done, at 4:30. No way I can be there at 4:30, but also no way I can offer carpooling trade with anyone else, or really any other help—I’m stretched thin and don’t like to be indebted to others for this reason. |
Anonymous
No no, for games. Away games start before I’m even off work! |
Anonymous
| When you say no transportation, do you mean to games? Our MS coach arranged carpools. A few parents went to every game. I never had to drive. And only about 1/2 the parents attended games as many were working in the afternoons so there’s no pressure to do it all. |