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Hug Your Children Tight Tonight

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(By a reader, Michelle Garnett Carrick)

Hi guys!!! I’ve recently found your page…..not soon enough for my liking, though. As a “hardened” youth sports parent (football wasn’t life and death …..it was more important than that!!), I read some posts and think, “my goodness, that’s BRILLIANT!!”.

I miss those days of little boys (and girls in my family) hardly able to wait until snack time after the game. But soon those days faded into me repeatedly calling in the dark for my child for the umpteenth time after the field lights were turned off. Only to hear, “One more time, Mamma?”….. Those minutes, hours, and years fade as quick as the field lights in late November.

CHERISH THEM, CHERISH THEM, CHERISH THEM. Not the moments, but rather the most important part…..your children. Trust me, don’t be a parent of an elite athlete, be an elite parent….the rest will come. I never missed ONE SINGLE GAME OR SCRIMMAGE throughout youth, middle, elite, club, travel, all-star, summer training, weights, resistance, fall practices, spring workouts, high school, college…..my most proud moment….?

When it was all over, my son said to me, “Momma, before every game, I looked to find you so I’d know exactly where to look in case I needed you.”

It wasn’t “I’ve gotta get the girl, I’ve gotta start, I’ve gotta get a scholarship”….it was about a little boy who became a man, while I was watching a football game.

Hug your children tightly tonight and God bless us everyone.



Primary Sidebar

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  • College Club Sports: The Best-Kept Secret in Youth Sports
  • When the Joy Fades: How to Help Your Child Through Sports Burnout
  • From Zero Stars to No. 1: What Cam Ward’s Story Teaches Every Youth Sports Family

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  • Sports Parenting
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  • High Performance
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WHAT'S TRENDING IN YOUTH SPORTS?
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We Believe In The Power Of Sports

Injuries in young athletes have soared. Costs to compete have skyrocketed. Kids are quitting in record numbers. But we believe strongly in youth sports, and the many ways it improves our childrens’ lives.

We are here to help parents regain balance and sanity, and to help restore the joy, accomplishment, and core values derived from sports.

Begin your journey today.

 

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According to a survey conducted over 30 years by two coaches and athletic administrators about what young athletes want to hear most from their parents after a sporting event, it turns out it is: “I love to watch you play.”

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