It’s MARCH!
Does anyone else think of March as a turning point on the calendar? I get that it’s still winter and the weather (most places) is still cold, but I always feel like I made it over some sort of imaginary hump when I hit March. I’m looking at the future and it feels sunny and bright and makes me want to go outside? Anyone else? It’s kind of like when I cross over on September 1st. It might still be warm outside, but I can smell the pumpkin spice approaching and it makes me happy 🙂 .
Today’s a brand new episode of THE BESTIE BREAKDOWN!
Erika and I are breaking down a very popular topic from our listeners. So many of you wanted to know the ends and outs of how we do…YOUTH SPORTS!
And we “do” youth sports.
From…
…cheer…
…to both school and club volleyball…to…
…basketball…
…football…
…baseball…
…soccer…
…and tumbling too, the Shulls and the Slaughters are LOVING this season in life when we spend our evenings and weekends outside, being active, with our kids, watching them learn new skills, learn to respect coaches, be a part of a team, learn how to deal when you’re the star but also learn how to deal with you ride the bench…there are so many lessons we’re learning as a family through youth sports, and today, we’re talking about it all.
Erika and I are also addressing which sports are our favorite to watch…and which sports we really don’t love. We break down the logistics, the carpooling, the time management and why we think this time in our lives is so valuable to our families. We also talk about when we let our kids “retire” from things when the sport no longer serves them or our family.
You have asked us a ton of questions about why we have our kids doing “so many things”, and in today’s episode, we share!
There’s a lot of joy in spending our weekends with our kids and our sports community doing life together. I hope you hear that in today’s episode! We hope you enjoy it!
Don’t forget, you can listen to day HERE or on your favorite podcast platform (Spotify, Apple, etc.)
As a reminder, so far this season we’ve broken down HAWAII, TRAVELING TOGETHER, BINGE WATCHING, FRIENDSHIP, BOTOX, BIKINIS, FITNESS, THE BESTIES, SOCIAL MEDIA, ENNEAGRAM, RECAPPED THE FIRST TEN, BACK TO SCHOOL, BIRTH, DIET, FALL, TIME, SLOW COOKERS, AIR FRYERS AND INSTANT POTS, BOOK CLUB #1, THE BACHELOR, our hubbies broke down PODCAST EPISODES 1-20 in PART 1 AND PART 2, ADOPTION, BOOK CLUB #2, GIRL FRIEND PARTIES, BEST OF THE BESTIES #1, HOLIDAY GIFTING, NEW YEAR, SAME US, DISNEY, LIFE HACKS, LOVE, McKINNEY and THE ’90s!
Happy March 1st, friends! I hope you have a wonderful day! xo
Elspeth says
I think this is such an important topic! I can’t wait to listen to you guys break it down!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Angela Jernigan says
I raised two boys who were playing whatever sport was in season. From ballfields to gyms, our lives revolved around their schedule. They are now 20 and 21 years old and the oldest plays college football. Do I regret all that time spent at a ballfied?? Quite the opposite, actually. In fact, both are now in college to pursue education degrees because they both want to be high school coaches! So some advice from a mom whose children are grown…. soak up every second. I miss those days so badly. From rec leagues, to high school, it was so. much. fun. And there is honestly a big void in my life. I am not sure what to do with all the down time. My husband is the AD at our local high school, so I am usually still sitting in the stands of various sports, but let me tell you, it’s just not the same when yours aren’t out there anymore! I love to see families who enjoy their kids and their various sports events like we did. Just doesn’t get any better in my opinion.
Mix and Match Mama says
Oh thank you so much for sharing this, Angela!! Sending you big hugs!!
Jocelynn Webb says
I have three kids but only one is sports currently! Thanks for sharing all your secrets. Do you have a favorite chair to sit in to watch all those sports? I need a comfortable chair to spend my Saturdays in! ?
Mix and Match Mama says
I don’t know that we loooove our chairs. They’re okay but not just the best thing ever.
Kay says
Thank you so much for your honesty and humor while delving into this topic! It was such a relief to hear that sometimes you find YS painful. I did not grow up in a sports-oriented family. Although I appreciate sports and think there are SO many benefits to doing them, I don’t know a lot of the game rules and such. So sometimes, I find it really painful to watch (or boring) and I’m really glad to hear other moms sometimes feel that too!
It’s also wonderful to hear how important having a sports community is. I felt the opposite…as if a lot of the other parents were snickering because I didn’t always know the exact right way to turn up, or how equipment worked, etc.
The funniest sport to me so far is Boys X-Country in high school. I love supporting my son, but literally, we all stand around for an hour and see our kids run by TWICE for three seconds. It cracks me up. But it’s worth it to cheer them on!
sandi says
We have four teens who are very active in sports. Our oldest is a freshman in college and playing soccer. We have two seniors one who has played school and travel volleyball for the past six years and the other is a swimmer. Our youngest is also a swimmer. I don’t regret a moment spent watching them play! What I do miss are the times spent in the car and hotels spending one on one time with whatever child I am with. Sometimes we traveled and watched as a family, because cheering on your siblings is a family obligation and other times it was divide and conquer. As our seniors head off to college in the fall and only one remains at home I am kind of grieving that special time is over. Was it crazy managing it all in the moment? YES but so so worth it!
PS: Volleyball is my favorite!
Carly says
I don’t have kids yet but this is already something I try and set expectations with my long time boyfriend (who is a major athlete) with already! I laughed at Erika talking about her plan before kids. I’m sure I’ll be eating my words years from now. I won’t lie though, I was taking notes at which sports ate more time! LOL This sounds like my worst nightmare spending my weekends in a convention center with fake cheese! But I know in the long run how great it will be. Thanks for the Tuesday scare (jk LOVE the besties and the podcast!)
Mix and Match Mama says
Awwwww! Carly, enjoy your weekends now while you can 😉 . Thank you so much for listening today!!
Jill Connors says
Hi! I have 2 boys (now 22 and 25) who played all sorts of youth sports from the age of 5! Soccer (they did not love), baseball, football, lacrosse, karate, basketball, roller hockey, etc… I am a working Mom who ran them around town from practice to practice, game to game. Husband coached 2 baseball teams and would wear 1 team jersey over the other to get to the next game. Husband coached Pop-Warner Football and I ended up on the PW Football board for 5 years. In High School, oldest son played baseball for 4 years. (the sport HE loved) and youngest son still wanted to play everything – Football, Rugby (this is a fun sport!) and Track (disc & shot put). Sports was not only good for the boys, but I have met some of my very best friends due to my kids playing youth sports. We believed the kids should play what they want, and eventually what they love will come to the top. My youngest just finished playing college Rugby for the past 4 years. Loved every minute of it. He just loves to be part of a team. We miss going to baseball tournaments and rushing out of work to get to the track field to watch your son throw the shot put which lasts approximately 7 seconds per throw. LOL. Sports is good for the soul. Enjoy every minute – you will miss when the last one finishes their last game… 🙂
Michele says
Surprised none of your kids swim competitively for a team. Does the community pool you all go to in the summer have a team? Or maybe your country club pool? I know all our kids really enjoyed doing the swim team in the summer, and it’s a sport all your kids could do at one place and one practice time.
Mix and Match Mama says
Me too! We always bring it up every summer because the pool down the street has competitive swim every morning, but so far, none of my kiddos seem interested at all.