I'm a happy ex-soccer mom

For three years my son took soccer on weekends.  It started at 7 and ended at 10.  We were never there at 7, not once.  There was just no chance that that would happen.  But since the vast majority of the other parents never showed up at 7 either, we didn't care.  We aimed for 8, but 8:30 was more realistic for us.  Really, it was doomed from the start.

The first summer my son loved it, and even went willingly in the rain (while I huddled under an umbrella).  The second summer he liked it, but wasn't as enthused.  Didn't want to go on rainy days (yay!).  The third summer, it was really hard to get him to go, and since I didn't want to spend my mornings sitting on hot bleachers, I let him skip a lot.  This really went against my gut - I've always told my kids that they can take whatever classes and activities they want, as long as they see them through to the end.  But I really hated rolling out of bed on weekend mornings and rushing him out the door, cold breakfast in hand.  I hated never being able to sleep in.  I hated trying to get work done on my laptop in the blazing sun, screen completely washed out.  I liked seeing my friends, but that wasn't enough to make me like going every single weekend.

He skipped so many times the first half of last summer that I didn't let him sign up for the second half, and he didn't protest too much.  I told him to think about it all winter, and if he wanted to take it up again he could, but he wouldn't be able to skip.  Ever.  Not in the rain, not if he was tired.  If he had a broken leg he could skip, but he'd still have to go with a broken arm (he just couldn't play goalie).  When April rolled around, he said he didn't want to go back, and I let out a big sigh of relief.

The truth is, I'm a sucky soccer mom.  I want to drive by, slow my car down, and push him out for three hours of exercise while I go shopping or go back to bed.  I don't want to watch him run drills.  I don't want to spend my entire day at tournaments, surrounded by parents who actually seem to give a crap if their team wins.  I don't want to fundraise for the team and I don't want to go to the team picnic.  I would do all of these things for my son if he wanted me to, but I'm over-the-moon thrilled that he doesn't.  He'd rather concentrate on Tae Kwon Do, which wants nothing more than my money and to get him there on time (which I'm working on, I swear).  Everything else is taken care of by them, I just show up to watch him test for his belts.

I'm so happy to have my warm-weather weekends back, to be able to get some extra sleep while the kids watch TV and play video games downstairs.  I like being able to make pancakes or muffins for breakfast and read the paper for a while, indoors, at my table.  On Saturdays we have Tae Kwon Do, but it doesn't start until 11, a much saner hour.  And it's indoors.  And there's Wi-Fi.  And there's a restaurant on the corner with fresh-cut fries.

Every once in a while, when we pass the soccer field, he says maybe he wants to go back again, but he doesn't say it with much conviction, and it soon passes.  The soccer field is only a ten minute walk away, and soon he'll be able to go by himself if he wants.  Happy to sign him back up then.

This is an original post to NYC Moms Blog. Amy also edits the NYC section of Famplosion, blogs about parenting in Brooklyn while keeping herself sane and comfortable at Selfish Mom, and attempts to keep one step ahead of the stalkers and paparazzi at Filming in Brooklyn and Examiner.com.