Marla the Blogger

My son is going to start playing soccer next week, so I was interested in an article I found on keeping kids safe when playing sports. Okay, so I'm sure what my son will be doing will hardly be considered a "sport" and more like a bunch of 3 and 4 year-olds running around after a ball, but there was still useful information in the article. A few items in particular stood out to me:

• Make sure they wear protective gear - does a 3 year-old really need soccer cleats instead of tennis shoes? Probably not. But he does need shin guards and I want him to get used to wearing special equipment when he plays sports, so we're getting him some gear.
• Find out the coach's view point -  when I signed my son up, I asked what expectations they had for what 3 and 4 year olds could do. Basically, they consider it a success if the kids can stay on the field while mom and dad sit on the sidelines, can run after the ball and have fun doing it. That seems to be the right attitude to me and appropriate based on the kids' young ages. I have a friend who pulled her 7 year-old out of pee-wee football because the coach was too competitive and put the kids in situations where they could be seriously hurt. It's important to make sure you agree with the coach's approach if you're going to entrust your child's safety to him or her.
• Don't let them play when injured - I doubt I have to worry about this too much now, but if my son continues to play sports as he gets older, this will become more important. I have countless stories of friends who were told to keep playing when they were injured in high school and college, even with serious injuries like stress fractures. And sometimes it starts earlier than that. My friend's 12 year-old daughter was told to "play through the pain" when her knee was seriously hurt in a softball game. Sometimes kids complain about minor aches and pains, but I think it's important to let them sit it out if they're hurt, or even if you can't tell if the injury is serious or not.

I wasn't encouraged to play sports when I was a kid, so I want to make sure my son has the opportunity to try some and see which ones he might like.  And I know as he gets older, we'll need to help make sure he's staying safe and having fun in any sport he participates in. If we keep him safe while he plays, I'm sure he'll have fun and hopefully continue to take part in sports. 

I've been crazy busy for the past few months. Work has been busy and every weekend we've had something going on. My mom came to visit, then we were out of town for a wedding, then my dad came to visit. Really, I haven't had a moment to rest. Lately, it's been a real challenge to keep sane and continue to take care of myself. And, then, on top of all that, I had a terrific "stress test".

My husband and I were travelling with our son and my dad to go to a family reunion. It was going to be a long drive, but we were leaving a few days early to take our time and enjoy the trip. We weren't even 20 miles from home when my son threw up all over himself in the car. We pulled over on the side of the road and there we were, on the side of the highway during rush hour traffic, changing my son's clothes and trying to clean out the car. It was definitely stressful.

He seemed to be okay once that happened, so we got back into the car and continued, but we didn't get very far before we had to pull over at a rest area. My son had to go to the bathroom. This happened again and again every 5 or 10 minutes. Sometimes he really had to go to the bathroom, sometimes he didn't. But every time he got upset and insisted we stop. It didn't take very long at all for us to figure out his stomach was just queasy still and couldn't differentiate between that and feeling like he had to go to the bathroom.

Instead of suffering on or stressing out, I just calmly turned the car around and drove back home. It wasn't worth trying to get some distance on the road if our son was miserable and it was going to be a terrible trip for all of us. So, we went home, ordered pizza and put on our pajamas. We had a relaxing evening at home, my son had a good night's sleep, and the next day we got up early and started our trip over again. We had to cover a lot more miles in one day then we had planned, but it was a much more relaxed trip for all of us. I'm glad I didn't let the situation get the best of me and made the right decision for all of us. I think all the work I've been doing to maintain my well-being has helped me stay calm and relaxed, even when facing a stressful situation.

The other night I went for a run by myself. I had planned to run with a few other people, but no one else showed up, so I went it alone. Really, I didn't mind. It's rare that I have time by myself and sometimes I enjoy being alone. Before I got married, I did things by myself frequently.

I remember one time in particular when I wanted to go to a concert and couldn't find anyone else to go with me. All of my friends already had plans or were going to be out of town or didn't want to spend the money, and I really wanted to see this band I liked, so I decided to go by myself. And I really enjoyed it! At first I felt a little awkward before the show started and everyone else was talking, but once the music started, I forgot all about being there by myself. Afterwards I was hanging out in the lobby of the theater and some members of the band came out and I stayed and chatted with them for awhile. Had I been there with friends, we might have left earlier or I might not have even noticed the band members standing around.

When I travel for work, I find myself eating alone a lot. I don't mind that, either. Sometimes if I'm tired I'll just order room service, but usually I like to go out to a restaurant. I'll take a book with me and read while I'm waiting for my food, or sometimes I'll sit at the bar. Frequently, other people dining alone will sit at the bar and I've met some really nice ones and had some great conversations with them while eating. One of my friends who is single even takes vacations by herself. She enjoys going where she wants to and seeing what interests her without having to accomodate someone else's schedule.

I think sometimes people are hesitant to do things by themselves. I once suggested to a friend that she go to a movie alone and she thought I was crazy. Being alone doesn't necessarily mean being lonely. Next time you're faced with having to go it alone, why not try to enjoy it? You never know how fun it may be, or who you might meet along the way.