The end of organized sports will be different for every athlete. Some may quit after one season when they are still small, some after middle school, some after high school, and some may make it all the way to college.
And but for everyone, it eventually ends.
For parents, it is easy for youth sports to become the focus of our world, too. It’s natural and important for parents to be involved in their kids’ lives.
At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, there is a price to pay for this engagement with our children. That price is the pain we feel when we reach “The End” of sports parenting – whether it comes when our children are small or if they make it all the way through.
If you’ve loved watching your kids play as much as I do, you will feel like something has been ripped away from you. You may feel a certain sense of emptiness. What will I do with my time now?
What’s a parent to do?
When your kid quits a sport you’ve loved watching, you may experience feelings akin to grief. So how does a parent who’s loved being a sports parent deal with the grief that a child is done with sports?
Since my kids are all done playing competitive sports, my “sports parent” label is gone. Yes, I cried a few tears when it ended, but I can honestly say that I am celebrating who they have become through their sports experiences, and I know that I will survive just fine without my label.
I guess I can hang on until the grandkids come along and start playing.
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 recently launched a podcasting series for sports parents. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.