are kids sports games fun for parents and grandparents?

[Anonymous]

3 kids and sports all weekend. Yes I go to all of them. Five or six games a weekend.

[Anonymous]

Parents are there to support the kids. Whether or not they are enjoying it could be another question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents are there to support the kids. Whether or not they are enjoying it could be another question.

You need to learn to read. This is exactly the question the OP asked.

[Anonymous]

We have three kids that all play sports. During certain seasons we may attend 6 games between the three kids over most weekends. The truth is that sometimes I absolutely love the games like when the weather is beautiful and the game is exciting. Sometimes I loathe the games especially when I am sitting at a field when it is wet and cold and miserable. That said, I love my kids and my kids love playing. They also love having us there to cheer them on and give them a hug when they are having a bad game. So, between my husband and I, we go to every game. Childhood is short and spending time with our kids is important. Pretty soon, they will be off to college and families of their own so we cherish the time we have with them. If that means being hot and sticky or even cold and wet, it’s worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have three kids that all play sports. During certain seasons we may attend 6 games between the three kids over most weekends. The truth is that sometimes I absolutely love the games like when the weather is beautiful and the game is exciting. Sometimes I loathe the games especially when I am sitting at a field when it is wet and cold and miserable. That said, I love my kids and my kids love playing. They also love having us there to cheer them on and give them a hug when they are having a bad game. So, between my husband and I, we go to every game. Childhood is short and spending time with our kids is important. Pretty soon, they will be off to college and families of their own so we cherish the time we have with them. If that means being hot and sticky or even cold and wet, it’s worth it.

Ok this is true - when it’s really bad weather I am not that happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love watching my kids play soccer.
I loathe watching my kid play baseball.

I’m in it for socializing with the other families, and being outside instead of cooped up.

+1.

Soccer games are exciting, baseball especially at my kid's age is so excruciatingly boring, especially when the are doing the no strike out thing. They pitch until each kid hits the ball, which sometimes take upwards of 30 tries, while the kids in the field sit down, play catch with themselves with their mitts or just get upset and bored and cry or run off the field. I was a softball player so still love the game, never played soccer as a kid. I hope games will get better as my son gets older

[Anonymous]

I enjoy the games (we have two per weekend, one for each kid), but am glad for the unstructured weekends when the season is over.

[Anonymous]

My dad LOVED going to watch his grandkids play and they absolutely loved having him in the sidelines (even more than us). He was also a former coach and lived the sport.

I love watching my kids play. I get great pleasure —whether it’s good or bad it’s fun to watch. By the end of the season I am burnt out on the driving and lost weekends. I am relishing that yesterday was the last game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Asking out of genuine curiosity: My husband and I are mid-40s DINKS so obv not going to weekend games all that often. We were talking with my husband's parents today - and they said they were basically spending the entire weekend at my husband's brother's kids' games. Three kids with two or more games each - that's the whole weekend. That's what they do most weekends - watch their grandkids play sports. The parents are at all the games, too - if two games conflict, one parent will go to one, the other to the other.

If you have three or more kids: Do you go to all your kids' (or grandkids') games like that - six-plus games over the course of a weekend? Is that fun? Would you ever tell a kid, "Hey, we love you - we'll go to one game this weekend - pick which one you want us at."

It seems like a really overwhelming schedule to me!

My kids are in elementary school, so if one or both parents didn't go to their games I'm not sure how they'd get there. I enjoy seeing them do things they like, so yes, it's fun. I wouldn't be showing up to a swim meet or a little league game if it weren't my kid or one I knew, but it's so great to see the pride in their eyes when they accomplish something they've been working on. We have lots of local family and they've all come to a game or two for our kids, but nobody but parents comes every time.

Think of it this way, OP: I bet you've been to lots of things over the years that were important to your husband but maybe weren't your favorite activity, and he's done the same for you. We show up to things that are important to the people we love because we want to show them we care - it's the same with kid sports.

[Anonymous]

On a nice day it's fun. on a cold, wet day it is sheer misery.

[Anonymous]

Not really but I go to support my children. DH and I split up when games conflict. I find soccer incredibly boring and do not like standing in the cold, sweltering heat or rain. I enjoy basketball because I like the sport better and find it more exciting. I find dance recitals very boring but also go. The grandparents go to a few per year but they are not local and will if they are visiting. They cheer and act very excited. To me they say they never enjoyed attending our games when we were kids. We all go for the children. They love it so we are there.

[Anonymous]

As others have said: it depends on the sport, the age of the kid, the venue/weather, and the other parents on the team.

I love watching baseball, hate swim meets. I’m more likely to enjoy sporting events if the weather is comfortable and if I like the other parents.

DH and I do not both attend every game/meet/event. I’d say we attend 1/3 to 1/2 of them together as a family, the rest we split up/trade off. One of us is almost always there. Neither of us wants to sit at 5-6 sporting events per week (and neither do siblings).

None of our extended family is local but if they were I’d guess they would attend occasionally at most. I don’t usually see much extended family of players at my kids’ sporting events actually- usually just parents. My kids are in the 8-11yo range so maybe that is a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Asking out of genuine curiosity: My husband and I are mid-40s DINKS so obv not going to weekend games all that often. We were talking with my husband's parents today - and they said they were basically spending the entire weekend at my husband's brother's kids' games. Three kids with two or more games each - that's the whole weekend. That's what they do most weekends - watch their grandkids play sports. The parents are at all the games, too - if two games conflict, one parent will go to one, the other to the other.

If you have three or more kids: Do you go to all your kids' (or grandkids') games like that - six-plus games over the course of a weekend? Is that fun? Would you ever tell a kid, "Hey, we love you - we'll go to one game this weekend - pick which one you want us at."

It seems like a really overwhelming schedule to me!

My kids are in elementary school, so if one or both parents didn't go to their games I'm not sure how they'd get there. I enjoy seeing them do things they like, so yes, it's fun. I wouldn't be showing up to a swim meet or a little league game if it weren't my kid or one I knew, but it's so great to see the pride in their eyes when they accomplish something they've been working on. We have lots of local family and they've all come to a game or two for our kids, but nobody but parents comes every time.

Think of it this way, OP: I bet you've been to lots of things over the years that were important to your husband but maybe weren't your favorite activity, and he's done the same for you. We show up to things that are important to the people we love because we want to show them we care - it's the same with kid sports.

This is OP - and of COURSE you do things for the ones you love. I am asking if you do it all weekend every weekend - and if it's fun. Not if you do it. Not if you love your kids.

It sounds like it is fun for you because your kids like it so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As others have said: it depends on the sport, the age of the kid, the venue/weather, and the other parents on the team.

I love watching baseball, hate swim meets. I’m more likely to enjoy sporting events if the weather is comfortable and if I like the other parents.

DH and I do not both attend every game/meet/event. I’d say we attend 1/3 to 1/2 of them together as a family, the rest we split up/trade off. One of us is almost always there. Neither of us wants to sit at 5-6 sporting events per week (and neither do siblings).

None of our extended family is local but if they were I’d guess they would attend occasionally at most. I don’t usually see much extended family of players at my kids’ sporting events actually- usually just parents. My kids are in the 8-11yo range so maybe that is a factor.

This is OP - and this sounds pretty reasonable and more of what I suppose I would have expected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love watching my kids play soccer.
I loathe watching my kid play baseball.

I’m in it for socializing with the other families, and being outside instead of cooped up.

+1.

Soccer games are exciting, baseball especially at my kid's age is so excruciatingly boring, especially when the are doing the no strike out thing. They pitch until each kid hits the ball, which sometimes take upwards of 30 tries, while the kids in the field sit down, play catch with themselves with their mitts or just get upset and bored and cry or run off the field. I was a softball player so still love the game, never played soccer as a kid. I hope games will get better as my son gets older

I'm not OP, but I'm another 40s DINK, and I'm GOBSMACKED that this is a thing. Ugh.