Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
Some times pictures are better than any written post. All I will say is that someone was awarded the hard hat this weekend…
Sometimes, I just love this game!!! I know she does.
Filed under hockey mom, Hockey Nova Scotia girls
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
I often wonder if our children have the slightest clue how much time we invest in them. At the risk of sounding like parents from the generations before us (“I remember walking uphill 5 miles both ways to school in raging snowstorms when I was a kid….) I don’t remember my parents driving me to and from activities every single day of the week and on a steady go basis on the weekend. We all know I spent no time in a hockey rink as a kid, so perhaps my experience is not a fair comparison. However, I have friends who tell me they were generally responsible for getting themselves to hockey practices and games – typically scheduled once or twice a week. Their parents were nowhere near the rink – not even for games!
This weekend, Gabi is back and forth to the rink four times. She is in training for the NHL in case you didn’t know. Why else would a seven-year old have 4 hours of ice time in less than 36 hours? (I write this at the end of a long weekend – I might be a bit testy….) Noah has been on the ice every night this week, so he is having some off time, except for his dryland training on Sunday morning. As I am the only adult in the house this weekend with a driver’s license, I am spending a lot of time on the road this weekend… All of this information is only relevant as background to my encounter with Santa Claus yesterday.
Gabi and I were grabbing a quick bite at a local Quinpool fast food eatery when she spied “Santa!”. He came to us before she could get to him and asked if she had been a good girl this year. You all know the answer – she is no stupid kid! He then turned to me with the same question (oh Santa, how long have you got…!) But before I had a chance to answer, Gabi responded “She has been excellent all year round! She takes us to every single hockey practice and game – she is definitely a good girl”.
I can’t tell you how much of a smile that brought a smile to my face – I believe my kids may just get it. Now I just hope Santa rewards me for my good girl status!
Filed under hockey mom
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
Let’s face it – we all have favourites when it comes to those in our life we chose to do things for us – favourite hairdresser, favourite masseuse, favourite teacher, favourite author, favourite chef. You get my drift.
This weekend, I became a favourite lace tier. Oh yes I did!
This is a status I was quite certain I would never attain. You may recall my earlier posts on tying laces and the “issues” associated with those efforts. Thankfully, the nine-year old can now tie his own skates so I am off the hook on that front. However, I still tie and untie a large number of seven-year old skates.
On Saturday, I was in a rush to get out of the dressing room (having realized I left the skates I was to get sharpened during that morning practice at home…). After hearing the coach offer to tie another player’s skates, I suggested to Gabi that he could tie her skates. She whispered to me: “No mommy, you do it. He ties them too tight”. I was feeling a little giddy after that confession but even better after what followed next: ”You know, Daddy ties them too tight too. So does Noah. You tie them just perfect”
Ahhhh, an early Christmas gift. I am her preferred skate tier – her favourite if you will!
Filed under hockey mom, Hockey Nova Scotia girls
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
Too much of a good thing can be, simply put, a bad thing. I thought I learned that lesson about 10 years ago following an all you can eat Tex-Mex buffet… bad night… Those who know me well know moderation is still a lesson I struggle with. And that is perhaps why I am so attuned to overindulgence in other people, more particularly my family. My spidey senses tingle when it comes to the amount of time spent playing and practicing hockey in my world.
Two week ago, a lovely smart talented university hockey player I have a lot of respect for told me he had not enjoyed playing hockey for several years now. Why? Because he had essentially overdosed on hockey for the 10+ years before that. But he was intelligent enough to realize that at this stage in his career, his hockey ability would ensure him a university education. So he continued to play. But he did not derive any pleasure from it. His confession made me sad – sad for him and sad for what might lie ahead for my children and their friends.
Make no mistake, hockey is a great game. Lifelong friendships are formed, valuable life lessons are taught, and great memories are created. But when the practice and play of hockey demand most of your non-school time, it is challenging to form other lifelong friendships, learn other valuable life lessons and create other great memories.
My son, an Atom player, has very little time to invest in anything other than hockey. At nine, he does not have enough life experience to consider whether this time committment is a bad or good thing. I do though.
In October, following 20 straight days of game, practices or dryland training, I suggested that making an early morning practice optional on a day off from school might be a good thing for these young people. To his credit, the coach totally agreed. At the early morning 7 am practice (following a game the previous night when the kids got home at 9pm), only TWO kids of the 16 on the team did not show up. Mine was one of the two. WHAT?!?!?!? The mama bear in me wondered if I was so far out in left field I was no longer even in the park.
Clearly, I cannot rage successfully against the institution of hockey. Right now, I take issue only with the all-encompassing nature of this sport. A nine-year old should be able to play soccer or basketball or take piano lessons or all of the above in addition to playing hockey without these activities dominating every minute of their lives (and their parents cause we are responsible for getting them to these activities). Unfortunately, the way the sport is currently organized, that doesn’t seem possible. This makes me sad and it also makes me cautious. We may think all this ice time is a great idea now, but give it a few years and let’s see how much our kids enjoy it then… My hope is that in our effort to make them the best hockey players they can be, we have not drummed out of them the pure enjoyment of the game. ’Cause that is definitely a possible outcome if we do not exercise caution on their behalf now.
Just sayin’….
Filed under hockey mom
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
Most times, the people carrier is filled with numerous little hockey players as we drive to a practice or game. I love eavesdropping on the conversations which unfold, contributing in limited ways, usually to remind them to tone down the fart talk.
Very seldom, the people carrier holds just me and one kid as we journey to an ice surface. That was the case tonight as Gabi and I drove (rather slowly) to Cole Harbour in the first snow fall of the season to watch Noah’s game. He was already there, hence the alone time. FYI – when your kid gets to Atom, they have to be at the rink one hour before the game starts. Spending an extra hour in a rink before a game is not an easy sell to the youngest member of my family (or other families!) so we often partner up with others so the boys go en mass together while the parents with other children arrive at a more civilized time – the game start time. But I digress…
There was no eavesdropping tonight. The conversation in the people carrier between Gabi and I was like attending a discovery – questions coming rapid fire from one side but for once I was not asking them! There were a multitude of questions covering a range of topics the likes of which you would not believe…
Some were more thought-provoking than others: “Mom, do you believe in God?”
Some were treasured moments of parent child bonding: “Mom, who is your favourite kid?”
Some were just plain funny: “Mom, did you know there are a-dult toy stores.” (this was while we were driving down Main Street…)
But the best one was a great hockey lesson: ”Mom, you know when my glove fell off at the game on Sunday when I was playing and we were all hitting hands cause someone scored a goal? Well, a kid from the other team skated my glove back to me. That was good sportsmanship wasn’t it?” Yes darling, it was. Let’s talk about that some more instead of why adults have toy stores…
Filed under kids hockey mom
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
Most parents strive to mark memorable events. Especially memorable events that are firsts – you know, the first hair cut, the first time walking, the first day of school, the first dance recital. In my family, one such memorable event is the very first real game of hockey – the one that comes after several years of practices, drills and mini games. Finally, the time arrives when the kid gets to play a three period game on an entire ice surface with coaches, referees, goalies, time clocks, dressing room speeches, etc. Gabi’s first real game of hockey was yesterday and to say she was super excited is an understatement. It was shaping up to be a memorable event.
In preparation for this first big game, I got the name bars sewn onto her jerseys, I made sure the battery for the camera was fully charged, I double checked to make sure her gear and stick were in the car (along with the water bottle…!) What I did not do was double-check the start time. As a result, her very first real game of hockey was made memorable by the fact that I MADE HER LATE…
Sadly, yes, you read that right. I wish I could blame a flat tire, a traffic delay, a car accident or even a freak weather act of god. But if I am being truthful here, I confess I had no one to blame but myself.
I like to think I am super organized, always on top of the myriad of activities our family rocks and rolls to and from. I read the e-mail with the game time. I then planned that I would have to pick her up early (3:30pm) from a swimming party of a friend… I would deliver her to the rink shortly after 4:00pm at which time we would meet the rest of the family so she could get dressed with tons of time to spare for a puck drop at 5:00pm. Great plan, well thought out and easy to execute. Except the game was at 4:00pm. I figured that out at 3:25pm when the sledgehammer of reality hit in the form of a slightly panicked husband calling to inquire where we were. Where I was was childless and approaching the bridge to Dartmouth where I would then fight for parking at the Sportsplex, run like a bat out of hell into the Sportsplex, returning at a slightly slower speed with my seven-year old to the people carrier to drive her back over the bridge to Spryfield… it could not have been any farther away.
During the never-ending drive (hitting every single red light possible), I had lots of time to think about how late my hockey girl would be. She knew nothing as I, a firm believer in self-preservation, did not say a word to her about our slight time crunch. She sat in anticipatory oblivion as I raced towards Spryfield. She started to clue in to her predicament as I squealed into the rink parking lot at 4:02 with the side door open to essentially throw her out of the people carrier into the waiting hands of her father. Time was finally on my side because at that point she had no time to tell me what she thought…
As I sank into my seat I was happy to see her come onto the ice mid way through the first period as I was afraid she would not be allowed to play in the game at all. I tried to avoid eye contact, not wanting to receive the dagger eyes I was sure were directed my way. All I got out of my husband when he returned to the stands from the dressing room was “she is not happy with you”.
Hockey is an amazing antidote to many things. At the end of a memorable first game, I made a sincere apology and I am pleased to report our ceremonious arrival at the rink has been a non-issue ever since. At least for her.
Filed under hockey mom, Hockey Nova Scotia girls, Uncategorized
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
Sometimes I am not so good at following through on teaching life lessons. Especially when the lesson is teaching my kids that, as they are old enough to pack their own water bottles, I am not going to pack them for them nor am I going to carry the water bottles to the car, nor am I going to carry the water bottles into the rink, nor am I going to ensure the water bottles make it out of the dressing room onto the bench.
I suck at following through on this hockey life lesson, routinely filling, packing and carrying the water bottles from my kitchen sink to the bench.
The problem is I am fearful of what happens if they don’t have the water bottle. I worry that if they don’t have water they will somehow die a slow dehydrated death towards the end of the game or practice. I am sure if I goggle “forgotten water bottle” I will get at least one hit which will verify my fear.
The kids do somehow manage to remember to bring the water bottles home, but they never seem to make it out of the hockey bag… The pile up until I retrieve them from the dark smelly recesses of the bag when I can’t find any clean bottles and go searching to find some, you guessed it, to fill for the next game or practice.
To those of you who also struggle with teaching this life lesson, I suggest my recent solution… buy a 24 of bottled water and keep it in the trunk of your people carrier. That way, you can pull a bottle out to ward off dehydration at any time. Yes, not the most environmentally friendly solution, but far superior to an early death brought on by lack of liquid. This suggestion will work handily until the freezing weather hits and then, well, you are back to the sink to fill the bottle to carry to the van to carry to the rink to carry to the bench. Look for me, as I will meet you along the way easily identifiable by my water bottle…
Filed under hockey mom, kids hockey mom, sports children
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
It’s 6:30 am on a dark quiet cold wet Saturday morning. Sleepy heads are up off their pillows for an early morning practice (young and old!).
No one wants to get dressed at a cold rink, so the living room takes over as the change room. And this is what it all looks like before we head out the door…:) Ahhhh, the early morning practice!
Filed under hockey mom, sports children
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
I have written before about mommy’s little hockey helper – the steaming cup of coffee or tea plugged into a cold hand early in the morning (speaking of which, the pumpkin spice latte is back at the Smiling Goat on South Park – yipee!!!)
Although appreciated immensely by me for its wonderful healing and helping powers, my children view the morning grown-up beverage as something of a threat – a hurdle, a detour, a barrier to their journey to hockey time. Despite their resistance, I continue with my efforts to educate them on the importance of the hot beverage en route to the rink.
I can report some success in breaking down this resistance. Well, truth be told, I mostly exercise sheer brut force, simply pulling the people carrier over at the desired coffee shop, ignoring the chorus of protests from the back of the bus. Works like a charm and I highly recommend this tactic!
Negotiating is not as effective as demonstrated by this conversation which unfolded en route to the seven-year old’s practice this Saturday.
Me: ”Mommy is just going to quickly run in and get a coffee”
Seven year old: ”I am going to be late”
Me: ”No you won’t (little lie). I really need this coffee”
Seven year old: ”Mommy, you don’t need a coffee – you just want a coffee”
In this case I think need and want might actually be the same thing…
I have decided to abandon all efforts to reason with my children and will continue one with the brut force method. Seems to have worked well so far!
Filed under hockey food, hockey mom
Timmies, Tantrums & TSN Prospects: Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy
In my opinion, one of the hallmarks of a great lawyer is the ability to remain civil and respectful with opposing counsel. The Canadian legal system is, by nature, generally adversarial. And in such a system, the lawyer’s role is to dig deep and fight hard for their client. A civil lawyer does exactly this, but is still able to step back from the battle of the file, remaining polite, cordial and respectful with the lawyer on the opposite side. The uncivil lawyer cannot, believing somehow they are in a spartan like “battle til the death” duel which necessitates general unpleasantness both during and after the file battle.
As this is not a legal blog, I will not go on any further about the uncivil lawyer (although I have lots and lots of stories!). Let me just say the lawyers I respect most are those who fight firmly and fairly for their clients, work hard, dig deep, are passionate about their positions, but still able to go for a drink with you when the day is done, letting the battle of the file disappear with yesterday. They are civil.
I think the same principle extends to the hockey rink. Great hockey players work hard, dig deep, do not back down from the puck but respect the opposing players and their commitment to the game. Great players are able to remain civil to other players despite the adversarial nature of the game.
It is perhaps not as easy to show civility on a hockey rink as it might be in the legal world. Many opposing players will not see or speak to each other after a game until weeks later when their teams meet to play another game. That is why I firmly believe the handshake ritual at the end of each game is key to civility – it is the opportunity to “go for a drink” with your opponent (especially when you are under age…). 
To contemplate not participating in the handshake ritual causes me to twitch – to actually not participate baffles my mind – it is just not civil!
Rewind to last night. The one adult and nine-year hockey player living under my roof both independently reported to me that at the end of the night’s game (involving nine and ten-year olds), the coach from the opposing team WOULD NOT let his players shake hands.
Seriously?????!!!!! I was baffled. I was also a tad enraged. The coach was, apparently, so annoyed with the referees, that he initially instructed his players not to go to the centre of the rink to shake hands at the end of the game.
It saddens me that this grownup, in such a position of power with our children (and likely his own), is settling this as an example of acceptable behaviour. On a far more positive note, I am happy to report at least four players on this man’s team went to centre ice anyway to shake hands, despite their coach’s mis-guided direction. Maybe they did not hear him. But I prefer to think it was because they have figured out the concept of civility despite the absence of same from their grown-up coach. One day they may make great lawyers!
Filed under hockey mom, sports children
