Do you ever feel like your life is on hold, that you spend all your would-be free time driving your kids to and from practices and games? 

If you are a busy sports parent, it’s easy to feel like you have no life because youth sports has taken over.

It’s important for you to remember that even though things might be chaotic, your life is not on hold and here’s why:

You are making great memories with your kids.

Hours in the car, late nights, amazing victories, disappointing losses, new friends made, even the car-fights your kids have – these are all memories that your children will always remember and cherish. My kids have wonderful memories of their years playing youth sports.

Still, it’s nice to hear it sometimes. Here’s four reasons what you do as a sport parent is important:

• You are giving your child opportunities to be challenged and to learn life-lessons. When done positively and with the right motives, youth sports can teach children lessons they will never forget.
• You are learning more about yourself. Sports parenting can teach you how to be a better parent, how to let go of things you can’t control, how to bite your tongue, swallow your pride and how to get along with people.
• The time you spend with your kids is not a waste. Every minute is an investment in who they will become. Youth sports experiences are building blocks for the future and the adult they will become.
• Nothing is more important than your parenting job. Of course your paid job is important, but nothing trumps the job of parenting. This doesn’t mean that you choose to spend every moment of your life doing something for your kids. It just means that your decisions are based on what is best for your children and your family, not just on what’s good for you.

Sports parenting shouldn’t mean that your life is on hold, it is your life. Give yourself to it and glean all that you can from it.

Janis B. Meredith, sports mom and coach's wife, writes a sports parenting blog called JBM Thinks. She authored the Sports Parenting Survival Guide Series and has a podcasting series for sports parents. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.