Being appropriately dressed for your child’s sports doesn’t mean dressed in the latest sports fashion, it means being properly attired so that you’re comfortable. When your child signs up to join a team, it’s very important to be involved, and you can expect it to be a rewarding experience but you can find yourself suffering needlessly if you are not familiar with, and prepared for, the environment that you will encounter.
If you have a child playing a particular sport for the first time, make sure you are ready for the elements and the surroundings—rain, snow, sleet, mud, icy cold arenas, or hot, humid playing fields. It’s all waiting for you and you should be prepared so that you can talk about the game with your child on the way home without your teeth chattering.
- Arenas are cold even in the summer and you should dress warmly and wear gloves or mitts and lined boots in the winter, and light gloves and unlined boots in the summer. When it’s game night, you don’t want to be forced to lurk like a coward in the warm entrance watching the game through the window like a wimp. Plan to be where the action is.
- Unless you are in the stands with the sights and the sounds of the game in front and around you, it’s not possible to really share in the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
- If the team is new to you, look for the parents who will usually be sitting in two big groups, not because it is important to present a united front as fans of the two competing teams, but because everyone wants to sit as close as possible to the overhead heaters in the stands. Finding the right group is as simple as recognizing at least one parent from your team. The other clue is that parents tend to sit behind or across from their team player’ bench if they can. If you find yourself in the wrong place, just get up and move
- Other parent will expect you to join them and will be happy to meet you although there are always one or two fathers who sit by themselves, generally because they don’t want to listen to, or respond to, the comments made by other parents. That’s okay, too.
- Conditions vary at playing fields and you run the risk of freezing to death, roasting to death, or drowning in a downpour or in a sea of mud. Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather and have extra clothing in the car in case conditions change part way through the game as they so often do.
- Leave your dainty, little purse-sized umbrella at home and make sure you are equipped with a big sports umbrella. You’ll be happy you have it. Parents don’t scurry off to their cars when it starts to rain—unless it’s torrential—they open their big umbrellas, turn up their collars, and pull down their ball caps. The game is on!
- You’ll also be happy with your large umbrella if it turns really hot as it will provide the protection you need against the heat and the risk of sunburn.
- Wear runners or comfortable walking shoes as various fields are grouped together and you may have to hike past two or three fields before you find the right one. If it has been rainy for a few days before the game, assume there may be mud and you are better off changing your runners for a pair of gardening boots that can be hosed off at the end of the day.
- At various playing fields, you may find comfortable, covered stands or free-standing metal stands where you can sit and watch the game, or nothing at all on which to sit. If you have never been to the field before and you really want to, or need to, sit, bring a beach chair or lawn chair in the car. The only thing you can count on finding are public restrooms.
- Some parents bring blankets to sit on in the stands in arenas or field stands.
- If you have a bad back, you can buy a seat attachment with a back that can be used on arena seats or stands, and they fold up for easy carrying.
- Make an effort to sit or stand near the parents on your team. Like you, other parents will be looking for help now and then with driving duties, and this is how you find out who lives near you and with whom you can exchange rides for your children when needed. As well, you may find your new best friend at your child’s sporting events.
It’s really fun to watch your young child at practices, running through drills and developing the skills needed to play a sport, and then watching the games he plays with his teammates against another team. Take care of yourself by wearing suitable protection and enjoy this world. You’ll find being involved in your child’s sports is very rewarding and opens up a new world of friendships for both of you.
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