My first kid has always been more studious, than sporty. Any games he does play normally involve a controller in his hand. I was ill prepared for my second kid being sports mad, and literally wanting to try all the sports! You name it he’s done it. We have the football boots, the tennis shoes, the karate gi, the boxing gloves, the basketball. Having a sporty kid involves a lot of parenting from the sidelines of various pitches and courts. It also involves arguments with your partner on wet and windy days over whose turn it is to get up at the crack of dawn and go and stand outside getting battered by the rain for an hour!
These are the parents you often find join you at the sidelines:
The Prepared
There are some people in this world that I swear have secret access to shops the rest of us know nothing about. The prepared parent is one of them. How else do you explain the fact that they have a coat that repels rain like a ducks back, looks cosier than a hot chocolate by a roaring fire, AND looks amazingly stylish too?
They also have a chair to sit on, a flask of coffee, and have already prepped a roast at home.
The rest of us live in hope of one day being the prepared parent (and having access to those shops).
The Unprepared
Also known as me! You know that saying “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”? Well I have the right clothing, it’s just at home. Because when I left the house it was Sunny. Of course now it’s bucketing hale stones and I’m wearing a woolly jumper. I also forgot the coffee, and my white trainers may not have been the best choice for the bog I am currently standing in.
The Cheerer
The parent that cheers so enthusiastically for their kids team, you think they might start doing a peppy dance routine and somersaults. Their enthusiasm would make them the best kids entertainer if they ever fancied a change of career.
The Car Watcher
The parent that doesn’t do ‘outdoorsy’ or small talk. Always park their car with a view of the pitch and remain in the car until their kid returns at the end of the match. We all want to be the car watcher. It’s much warmer!
The Coach
The parent shouting things like ‘Pass it’ and ‘change formation’ like they are the actual coach being paid to teach the kids. The actual coach is shouting things that sound a lot like the opposite of what the parent is shouting. We all make great armchair refs though, right?!
The Feeder
You have been trying to angle an invite round to the feeders for dinner. Based on the quantity and quality of the snacks they dish out from the sidelines, they are clearly an awesome host. Everyone still talks about the day that the feeder turned up with bacon baps for everyone. Everyone loves the feeder. They make the best flapjacks.
The Hungover
There’s always that one parent who met up with a friend for a quick drink the night before. A few drinks turned into a few drinks too many, and forgetting it was their turn to parent from the sidelines in the morning. They start the session looking very green. They end the session shovelling food provided by the feeder into their mouths.
Do you have any sideline parents to add? Which one are you?
This post is sponsored by Tennis HQ
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