Confessions: I'm a Hockey Mom and I Love it!
Call me crazy but I love being a Hockey Mom. Strike that. I love being an (insert sport here) Mom. A special thing happened on Saturday night and it made me realize something. Hockey has given me an amazing opportunity to bond with Ben outside of typical mother/son bonding moments. Saturday night, Ben stepped onto the ice at the Boston Garden (sorry – can’t call it the TD Garden or whatever they call it these days) in front of 19,000 people and skated his little heart out. For three minutes, him and his Mite 2 teammates were the main attraction. Imagine that. My son!
It’s no secret that I grew up a major tomboy. Like MAJOR. And growing up in the Boston-area, the Boston Bruins were it for me. Cam Neely was my Kirk Cameron. My bedroom walls were lined with his photos. We went to games. Meet and Greets. Everything. I even saved up all of my allowance money to buy a sweet leather Bruins jacket. (I still have the jacket. BTW.) So, when Ben was born – I secretly prayed that he would love hockey as much as me.
Santa Claus brought Ben his first pair of skates at 2. Over the years he also brought a soccer ball, golf clubs, a yoga mat and every other athletic item imaginable. Sports played a huge role in my life. I was even fortunate enough to play softball at the collegiate level. My sports philosophy as a parent is simple. Give him the opportunity and encourage him. I’ve encouraged him that it was okay to fall down because I’d be there to pick him up. I’ve encouraged him to skate without the crate because he didn’t need it anymore. I believe in him and watching him believe in himself is the best part. He is still in the early stages of his hockey “career” and I will be there to encourage him every step of the way.
I’m well aware of the time commitment, money and other things we may miss by being a hockey family. The bottom line is if he is happy, I am happy. There is nothing better than seeing your child’s face after scoring his first goal. It is pure magic. All of the money, practices, cold rinks and long car rides make it all worth it.
Hockey is more than a game. Starting with friendships created in the locker room to learning to balance school and responsibilities at home, hockey is something that he can enjoy the rest of his life. Whether he is playing in front of 19,000 fans or not.
That special moment on Saturday night is something he will never forget. The fact that it almost didn’t happen is beyond me. But that’s a blog post for a different day.
