dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jun 6, 2012 18:22:59 GMT -5
In the early 90s, I remember yacking with the other moms during practices and watching the games with DH.
I would NEVER take wine in a sippy cup to a game; a margarita in a sports bottle was the only way to go!! ;D
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jun 6, 2012 19:25:39 GMT -5
They make wine (and margaritas!) in cute little Capri Sun-looking bags now... with 3 kids each involved in 3+ sports/activities for a span of 12 years, I'm sure my mom is very upset those weren't invented earlier. She spent a lot of time shuttling us around... she didn't watch practices (usually because she was dropping off/picking up/feeding someone else) but came to all games/competitions. No cell phones back then, so I assume she was somewhat paying attention.
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InsertCoolName
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Post by InsertCoolName on Jun 6, 2012 19:37:26 GMT -5
I'm thankful my kids don't play sports at this time. I HATE sports of all kinds. And drinking to get through them isn't an option because I have to drive to the damn park- they put it 2 miles OUT of town. Drinking and driving isn't something that is in the budget. Ever. Not to mention, my kids would be in the van with me. When my siblings played sports way back when, mom went and talked to friends/people she knew. I know I wasn't watching. Didn't care who won/loss. THE BEST game I ever had to sit through was when my sister was playing basketball in hell I don't know middle or high school. One of our younger brothers ran across the court in the middle of the game!!!!! It was sooo freaking funny. Sis didn't think so though. Bet mom wished she had had something to distract her then....
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milee
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Post by milee on Jun 6, 2012 19:43:31 GMT -5
She spent a lot of time shuttling us around... she didn't watch practices (usually because she was dropping off/picking up/feeding someone else) but came to all games/competitions. No cell phones back then, so I assume she was somewhat paying attention. The best parents learn how to sleep with their eyes open. Just sayin'.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jun 6, 2012 19:54:10 GMT -5
They make wine (and margaritas!) in cute little Capri Sun-looking bags now... with 3 kids each involved in 3+ sports/activities for a span of 12 years, I'm sure my mom is very upset those weren't invented earlier. LOL!! When DS was about 4, he was playing a game on a very hot day. He came running over to the bleachers where I was sitting and started to grab my sports bottle. I pulled it away and told him, "No, you can't have any" and he hollers, "IS IT A MARGARITA, MOM?" Uh....ya. I JUST saw those pouch cocktails in the grocery store the other day. They were setting up a display of them. You're supposed to put them in the freezer and they make a slushy cocktail.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jun 6, 2012 19:54:49 GMT -5
She spent a lot of time shuttling us around... she didn't watch practices (usually because she was dropping off/picking up/feeding someone else) but came to all games/competitions. No cell phones back then, so I assume she was somewhat paying attention. The best parents learn how to sleep with their eyes open. Just sayin'. Boy, ain't that the truth!!
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milee
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Post by milee on Jun 6, 2012 20:02:38 GMT -5
I love my kids, but nobody ever warns you about how mind-numbingly boring large parts of parenting can be.
Yes, you shouldn't be the parent who never sees your child's practice/games, but when you've got 2 kids doing activities a total of 10-12 hours a week, there's only so much practice you can pretend to be fascinated with, much less reasonably stay awake for. To the poster who used the hour a week her child was in dance class to lovingly reflect on her child - very understandable and beautiful. But what about when the practices get to be 4-5 days a week and are as exciting as watching the movie "Groundhog Day" for the 846th time?
Not only that, but if I have to sing the multiplication song one more time, I'm gonna lose it!
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jun 6, 2012 20:20:21 GMT -5
No kidding, Milee. After I replied earlier I started really thinking about what those years must have been like for my mom... there were literally MONTHS of get up, go to work, run home at lunch to let the dog out, run home after work to let the dog out, pick up my brother, drop off my sister, take my brother home to feed him (or to a second activity), pick up my sister, bring her home to feed her, then come into town to pick me up, bring me home, make sure everyone has their homework done, pass out on the couch, wake up 6 hours later... I feel like I should send her a card or something.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2012 7:13:11 GMT -5
No kidding, Milee. After I replied earlier I started really thinking about what those years must have been like for my mom... there were literally MONTHS of get up, go to work, run home at lunch to let the dog out, run home after work to let the dog out, pick up my brother, drop off my sister, take my brother home to feed him (or to a second activity), pick up my sister, bring her home to feed her, then come into town to pick me up, bring me home, make sure everyone has their homework done, pass out on the couch, wake up 6 hours later... I feel like I should send her a card or something. I get the whole "you don't need to watch every single thing" aspect - I really do. My mom definitely didn't go to all of my track/swim/band/choir practices (in most cases, no one was allowed to watch practice), but she made it to all concerts and plays, not many meets (they were right after school and she worked), and not many band competitions but she was a Band Mom for a few years (they chaperoned for the competitions we traveled for and helped to do fundraisers). This on top of working full time and maintaining the home (we did our fair share of chores and dinner prep, but she would leave instructions and have dinner part-way started when she left for work). I remember feeling like she wasn't there enough, but looking back on it she really did a lot.
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on Jun 7, 2012 8:05:36 GMT -5
I never felt that my parents didn't do enough, even though my dad worked a lot, and at one point drove 2 hours one way to work every day for several years.
They didn't watch practices in high school (band, drama, track, cheerleading, etc.) because no one watched practices and it was boring for those of us that had to participate! haha. They did watch little league/softball practices because it was too far away from our house to go back and we were just kids, not teens then.
But they were at every band concert, every chorus concert, and every play. They were at most track meets, and my mom went to every football game when I was in the band (my dad went to senior night, etc., but he didn't want to run into all the people he went to high school with! haha - yes, I went to the same high school that my dad attended 30+ years earlier). If we have kids, I'd like to make it 3+ generations, though right now I live in the rival school district! Egads!
But ya, my parents attended everything even though they both worked a lot and I am sure for half of my cheerleading practices my mom sat out in the car and read a book instead of watching, but no parents ever watched - I don't think it was allowed (competitive cheer team).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2012 8:11:39 GMT -5
My Mom would come to one of our games each year. I'm sure it helped that some of us were on the same team at the same time. She couldn't be at multiple games at the same time and she couldn't spend every day after school going to our games, either.
Besides, she said she couldn't stand to watch one sister dive because she worried about her hitting the board, and she had trouble watching soccer because the one game she went to a girl had her ankle broken by a slide tackle. We knew she did what she could manage.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 7, 2012 8:15:09 GMT -5
My parents never watched our practices. No parents did. We didn't have a lot of overlapping sports seasons then (I'm old, this was the 70s and 80s.) My dad usually watched our games while Mom was home with the other kids. If dad was at someone else's game, we either biked or bummed a ride off a friend. Sometimes dad would drop me off (I was a benchwarmer most games) and go to a siblings game where they actually played.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2012 9:25:38 GMT -5
I JUST saw those pouch cocktails in the grocery store the other day. They were setting up a display of them. You're supposed to put them in the freezer and they make a slushy cocktail. [image] I saw them but haven't tried them yet! I'm so curious. ;D I get trying to be present for your kids but I save that for when I'm actually interacting with DS. Turn off the phone at dinner or while playing a board game definitely. I just didn't like the tone of judging someone else's parenting by watching them for a few seconds. We don't know what they did before or after. And while it's sweet to get the kids point of view most kids want 110% of their parents time and that's just not possible. It makes sense to me send work e-mails or read when your kid is otherwise engaged.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2012 9:47:26 GMT -5
I usually do not stay and watch my kids practice, but I do go to all of their games unless the games are too far to drive to.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2012 9:56:07 GMT -5
Here! Here! I get what the writer of the article is saying, but I was at the other end of the spectrum...I was spending waaaay too much time concentrating on the kids and they became too dependent on me. It was like we were attached at the hip when they were 3 & 4. I knew I needed to get them ready to to go kindergarten so I gradually started being too busy with other things to play with them. I'd steer them by their toys and then go into another room (and then sign on EE! ). So I think you need to find a balance rather than trying to guilt parents into thinking they're failing their children because the kids aren't the centers of their universe.
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Jun 7, 2012 10:02:52 GMT -5
dancin - cocktail slushies are great We've had them around here for years. We usually get them down at the lake, but I may have a couple hanging out in the freezer at home
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Jun 7, 2012 10:14:11 GMT -5
dancin - cocktail slushies are great We've had them around here for years. We usually get them down at the lake, but I may have a couple hanging out in the freezer at home We bought a few at Walmart the other day. They're pretty good.
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amishgal
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Post by amishgal on Jun 7, 2012 15:14:17 GMT -5
My DD9 is in dance but I never stick around for dance class, I drop her off and then go work out. That is her time to learn with the class and the instructors, not to have parents hover around and distract the kids. Then, we get to go to the recital and see how hard they've worked! I don't know how/when this watching practice nonsense started...let them have some independence.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jun 11, 2012 17:15:39 GMT -5
So this woman is blogging about how she is giving up technology and spending more time with her kids?
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