Should Parents Attend Every Game?

By Heather Delaney Reese, It’s a Wonderful Life. Heather Delaney Reese is a paid spokesperson for HEALTHY ESSENTIALS®

As soon as you add a second child, the age-old dilemma of how to be everywhere for every child kicks into play. Add another child on top of those two, and you can forget about even the remote possibility of it happening… and that’s okay!

When my daughters were old enough to start participating in after-school activities, like lessons and team sports, I quickly started to realize that there was no way I could be at all of their activities, no matter how badly I wanted. Pretty quickly, I realized it was a great lesson for me in time management, prioritizing and planning ahead. Plus, it’s good for kids see their parents face obstacles and create solutions to those problems.

And create solutions I did! Here’s what I did:

• I got out my calendar and marked all of their lessons in one color, and competitions and games in another color.
• Then I rotated through them in order, giving priority to competitions and games.
• Whenever there was an overlapping important event, my husband and I would divide and conqer – I would go to one, and he would go to the other.
• For those events I couldn’t be at, I left a small note of encouragement for the daughter whose event I was missing out on so they knew I was thinking about them.

Even though my husband and I couldn’t both be at every game, in a way, it was actually more special for the child whose event we were at because that meant some good quality time after with just the two of us. Those drives home sharing about the game were some of the best one-on-one discussions.

When my daughter is exercising, she is bound to get the occasional cut and scrape here and there, and that doesn't stop her from finishing her workout session. So, I make sure she always has what she’ll need to take care of herself when I’m not there. That means stocking up her backpack with a water bottle, workout clothes, BAND-AID^® Brand SKIN-FLEX™ Adhesive Bandages, and NEOSPORIN^® + Pain Relief NEO TO GO!^®. As a mom, I appreciate a bandage with a 24-hour hold that lasts through hand washing and dries almost instantly, so I stick with BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages.

 
Heather Delaney Reese is a paid spokesperson for HEALTHY ESSENTIALS®