Being a Football Mom on Friday Nights
When your child reaches the high school level of football, your world quickly becomes revolved around Friday nights. It’s a time of celebration, it’s a time of dedication, and it’s a time of excitement. Here’s some insight we’ve gleaned from our football moms.
Friday nights are intense, not just for your athlete, but for the whole family. Your high school student feels the pressure of performance and that stress can reach the entire family, even younger siblings.
As the parents, it’s our responsibility to create a peaceful environment for our kids. Instead of pushing them on Fridays with motivational speeches or pressuring them to succeed, perform, and focus, tell them you’ll be thinking of them. Let their coach do the coaching and you can focus on calming them with encouragement.
One mom said instead of talking about football, on game days she focuses on his character. She tells him how proud she is of the man he’s becoming. She’ll talk about his character and integrity and just lift him up.
Giving your kids confidence is a total game changer. Imagine the confidence they have as they walk into the stadium after being pumped up all morning by Mom and Dad. It’s incredible how powerful our words are, so use them wisely.
As a mom, Fridays are hectic. The busyness of the normal day-to-day routine with the added pressure of getting to the game on time and staying into the night while keeping an eye on younger siblings can be exhausting. But it’s so worth it. You’ll make lasting friendships with the other football moms and create a little team of your own. You all support each other and help each other get through the season.
When it’s game time, all you can do is sit back and watch. We birth these babies and watch them grow up. We cater to their needs and try our best to cater to their wants. As they enter high school, each year yields more and more independence. Football is one of those defining moments when you can’t do it for them. They’re out there on the field, doing it for themselves, win or lose, good or bad, easy or difficult. It’s up to them. That’s the tough part of being in the stands—wanting to comfort them, wanting to talk to them, but not being able to.
If you’re a mom preparing for high school football season, don’t worry. Though they’re not babies anymore, they’ll always be looking to you in the bleachers—whether it’s after a touchdown or after they’re tackled. They’re independent, but they still need you.