Reflections on taking some time off

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Rich

I have an almost 9-year-old. She plays softball (I'm the coach of the team), volleyball, and basketball.

I've missed some things. I'll admit it. I wish I would've made a few of those events, but not all of them. I'll admit that, too.

I've never been of the mindset that my life ended at the moment I had a child. Now that she's old enough to talk to, I've told her that I will try to get to some of her games and events, but she has to understand that I have my own games, too, and that those are important to me. If I give it up now, I'm not coming back in 10 years when she's off to college. I'd probably never come back.

If that makes me a shitty father, so be it. Mom's chosen to go to everything -- that's her choice. Probably makes it easier for me to not be at *every* *last* event.

When she's playing at the HS level, the balance may change, but I can guarantee I won't simply quit and follow her from event to event, either.

And since I'm coaching her team in the spring, I'll be cutting back on summer baseball work. That needed to go anyway.

We used to live in a time where parents worked, had other lives and somehow we were OK as their children. I never get parents that stop doing everything just to go to a game there kid will not even play in. Then again I am not an official that would be working every single night like I had nothing else going on in life. Heck in many cases people use this money they make in officiating to take care of their kids activities. It is not like we are doing this for free. My parents would go out of town for their jobs and would sometimes miss something. I got over it.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Heck in many cases people use this money they make in officiating to take care of their kids activities.

In my case, a college education for my three children. Back then, I worked games anywhere, at anytime, sometimes six, or seven days a week. And I worked a part time job bartending in the summer (I was a teacher). That's all over now, my kids appreciate their college degrees with little, or no, college loans, and they often thank me for that. So now I just work the games that I want to work, high school, and Catholic middle school, games. No more youth recreation leagues, mens leagues, church leagues, travel games, summer games, AAU games, etc.