Savor The Journey
A reminder that youth sports are a ticking clock that can bond or break a family.
If your house is like mine, there are still remnants of Halloween in the form candy wrappers strewn throughout the kids’ bedrooms. These kids may know how to throw a curve ball but they have zero ability to properly discard a freaking wrapper that used to envelop candy they shouldn’t be eating with such frequency a week later. Plus, save some for me people!
As a connoisseur of both sugar and the horror genre, Halloween is my favorite holiday. Sadly, it can also feel fleeting when you have kids. When they are little tots you can dress them however you like. When they are young kids they are game for matching family costumes. Perhaps you convince yourself it’s going to be like this for many years to come. Then you blink and it’s a struggle to convince them to put down their smartphone for ten seconds just to look at pics of how cute they were as a 6-month old burrito.
I haven’t really thought much about the light at the end of the tunnel of my kids’ youth sports journeys. It all still feels a ways away. But I was recently perusing one of those famous youth sports mom groups on Facebook I’m always mentioning and was stopped in my tracks.
A simple picture. A picture oozing with emotion. A picture to put everything in perspective.
Before even reading Tracy Giambrone’s caption about this beautiful embrace with her son, Collin, it was clear this was the end of a chapter. Then the caption. Man oh man, get the tissues ready. Shared with permission from Tracy:
I waited a little while to post this because my grieving heart is still trying to process the overwhelming emotions. Watching my son go through 13 years of growing and achieving is something I will hold on to forever and ever.
My sweet Collin, I am forever thankful for your sacrifices, your perseverance, your strength, and your fortitude. I envy your passion and your compassion. I am amazed by your ability to set goals and never waiver from achieving those goals. You are a true example of strength and courage. I wish you a lifetime of goal-setting, of strength, of love, and success.
Daddy and I did our part to guide you. Football helped shape you. This chapter is over. It’s time for change and now it’s your chance to take the wheel. As you do…
Please always remember to:
Be kind, be thankful, be aware, be brave, and don’t be afraid to slow down sometimes. I will always be your BIGGEST fan and your loudest cheerleader. You will be in my heart always.
Tracy attended every one of Collin’s football games. She cheered her heart out, She formed a football family that complemented her actual family. Even when her father passed away on a Thursday two years ago, she found solace in the stands the next day watching Collin under the Friday night lights.
“Those two hours provided a focus, a respite from reality. It was a time when my world felt like it was not falling apart,” she tells Good Game.
Tracy’s sheer devotion is a testament to the power of how youth sports can coalesce a family. How it provides so many moments to appreciate and foster. Watching your kid rise to the occasion. Watching your kid rebound after a tough loss. Even the excruciatingly long car rides to the middle of nowhere come with benefits.
Of course, youth sports can and does bring out the worst in many people. All you have to do is scan the Good Game archives to see myriad examples. But when the kid loves the sport more than the parent and when the parent simply loves watching the kid play without scheming and politics and other anterior motives, the bond formed is magical.
I asked Tracy if she had any regrets from her time supporting Collin’s youth football career. She said the only one is not taking a picture at every game. I wish I could say I have no regrets as a youth sports mom but that would be a lie. And it’s admittedly harder to sit back and fully chill as youth sports becomes more professionalized and everyone around is constantly plotting and dangling “once-in-a-lifetime-elite-select-major-legendary” opportunities for your child.
But Tracy’s photo (and several other photos like it) is a reminder of what this is all about. The parent needs to be the child’s biggest supporter and to savor each moment. Support comes in many forms - knowing when not to talk about the game, helping to build confidence, keeping a keen eye on academics, and, of course, making sure they’re having fun.
Tracy says she lost a bit of her identity when Collin walked off the football field for the last time. And it’s ok to admit that our kids’ youth sports are part of our identity now. Tracy’s salvation is that her middle son, Ethan, has just started 8th grade football. She can’t wait to cheer him on. Eventually Ethan will hang up his cleats too and likely embrace his mom with the same genuine love and appreciation that Collin did. Will our kids give us the same treatment when the time comes?