By Alex Flanagan
Often the very best tips are the ones that come through word of mouth. The following 4 sport parent hacks are a few I’ve observed or know about through friends and family and are so helpful I thought it was worth spreading the word. (Please comment below this article if you have something great that helps you be a better sport parent that you would like to share.)
4 Essential Sport Parent Hacks
FACETIME: With jobs that require frequent travel, it can be tough to always make it to your kid’s game. Trusty ole FaceTime is one of our favorite tools for keeping track of our kids’ sports when we can’t be there. I sat next to my friend recently at a basketball game. Her husband was out of town and wanted to be part of their daughter’s game. She dialed him up on FaceTime and the three of us watched together. He could see and hear the action, we could see and hear him and have almost a regular conversation. It was the next best thing to having him at the game.
GAME CHANGER: This app allows family or fans to follow a baseball or softball game from any device. I got to see it in action recently when my friend’s son was playing in a baseball tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was in California and couldn’t attend the games, so her husband took their son. Their son’s team advanced to the finals and she wanted to track what was happening in the game. She was able to see each of his at bats through this cool app where a scorekeeper at the game keeps record of all the action. It also provides instant access to stats and charts.
MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE: We at ILTWYP are partial to FRESHLY.COM because Alex’s younger brother Mike is the founder. But there are other ones out there too. You don’t have to be a sports parent to appreciate a meal delivery service. I like to have a few of Freshly’s ready-made dishes in the refrigerator for at least 2 of our family’s meals every week. It saves me about an hour each time I serve them! Freshly meals are healthy and are ready in about three minutes! Brilliant when you are coming home at 7 p.m. from a game or practice and haven’t even given two thoughts to dinner. I’ve also been interested in trying one called Sakara.com that my girl crush Gwyneth and goop recommend. (Let us know if you have tried it and have feedback). If you want to try Freshly, I called in a family favor. My brother gave me and our readers a deal. Use Code flan2x and get $20.99 off each of your first two weeks.
HEAL: Don’t go to the doctor, bring the doctor to you !! My good friend’s son came down with a terrible ear ache on Mother’s Day. With and inconsolable 9-year-old on a Sunday and a Holiday, they were getting ready to ro sham bo who would spend Mother’s Day in urgent care. Then she and her husband remembered a service they had learned about called Heal. Heal makes on demand doctor house calls 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm. They have licensed, qualified pediatricians, internal medicine doctors and family doctors that come to your house! Just like the olden days! My friend decided to give it a try. A pediatrician and a nurse showed up at her door, diagnosed her son’s ear infection and wrote a prescription. Did you say, no waiting rooms, no catching additional viruses in a doctor’s office! My friend was so impressed and pleased with their experience she knew she had to share. I immediately assumed the cost of the service would make it prohibitive, but it turns out Heal’s visits are covered by most insurance companies with an in-network co-pay of typically between $0-$40. If it’s not covered. The out of network flat fee is $99. Spread the word parents!
Alex Flanagan co-founded I love to watch you play in 2015. She was flying home from an NFL work assignment when a learning specialist, who was sitting next to her, shared 5 reasons she shouldn’t feel guilty missing her son’s game. She shared their conversation on her own website alexflanagan.com and the response was so overwhelming it inspired her to create ILTWYP to help parents like herself navigate youth sports.
