Consider yourself warned!
A guide for those who think they want children.
|
|
This past Thursday was Holy Thursday. My daughter goes to a Catholic high school so she had the day off. So, instead of being home, praying or doing whatever she’s suppose to be doing to remember that holy day, my daughter, along with the members of her school’s track team, were at a track meet. Now, I just happened to have Thursday off. I had planned on cleaning my house and doing the laundry. I know, not quite a religious way to celebrate the holiday. But hey, some things just need to be done. Don’t judge. Anyway, I didn’t even get to do that. My daughter had to be at the track field by 9:30 am. Unfortunately, the meet was not in Brooklyn which meant that I had to drive and that we needed to leave home around 8:00 am because you just never know what will be going on with traffic. So needless to say, I didn’t get to clean the house. Instead, I went to my daughter’s track meet.
This was the first time that I got to see my daughter run track. I watched her run cross country earlier this year, and she’s even gone out and ran with me and my girlfriends a few times. Or, should I say, she started with us. Usually, she ends up waiting for us at the finish line. This day, she ran both the 400 and 800 meter races. She didn’t win, but she didn’t come in last. I was so proud of her. Although, I would have been proud of her even if she came in last. She went out there and gave it her all. I mean, that girl ran her butt off! I had no clue how fast she could run. Like I said, I’ve watched her run cross country last season. But that’s different. Cross country is more about distance and stamina. Track was all about how fast you could run. I have to say, I was really impressed with her running skills. I was one proud mama. Now, this was my first track meet, so let me tell you what I learned. First of all, these meets last all day. All. Damn. Day. I’m not joking. All day. The up side is that it is fun watching the kids compete. You cheer for your child, you cheer for your child’s teammates, you cheer when its time to go home. As a parent, you need to master the art of patience and stamina because you are not going home anytime soon. Also, if your child runs in March/April, and you live in the northeast, its going to be cold. I wish someone had told me that before I sat down on the hard, cold bench. This track meet was at Randall’s Island. Island. Let that sink in. We were surrounded by water. In March. It was cold when we arrived at 9:00 am, and it was cold when we left around 3:00 pm. All I had on was a short down jacket. Silly me. I thought that would be enough to keep me warm. The only time I was warm was when we were in the heated car. I was cold all day. All. Day. I looked at the moms in the row behind me. They were all bundled up in hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets. Blankets. This was not their first time at a track meet. I learned my lesson. On Friday, I bought two mini blankets. One for me, and one for my daughter. I will be prepared for the next meet. The other thing I learned from the experienced moms ... and from going to the snack bar was to bring your own snacks. Why, you ask? Because the snack bar is expensive. Unless you bring in a bucket of chicken, you are forced to buy the expensive cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, drinks, chips, etc. Unfortunately, your kid will ask you to buy him/her something to eat. And since you’ve been there for five hours, and your child still has at least two more hours to go before their next event, you kind of feel bad for them. Besides, you’re hungry too. So off you go to drop a fortune at the snack bar. So, next time, I’m bringing my own snacks. Who knows? Maybe I can hide some sandwiches in my pocketbook. After all, its not like they really checked it. The last thing I learned is this ... make your coffee at home and bring it with you in a metal thermos. I was charged $3.00 for a cup of coffee! Can you believe it? We were there for at six hours. I needed two cups of coffee to make it through the day. The coffee wasn’t too bad, but I would have preferred to throw in another $2.00 for a cup of coffee from Starbucks! But I didn’t have that option, it was cold, and I was trying to stay warm. Anyway, after all that, I had a great time. It was fun watching the kids race and it was fun cheering them on. They even inspired me to run more consistently. Maybe I’ll start next week. But I know this, next time I go to my daughter’s track meet, I will make sure to bring a blanket, snacks, and coffee in a thermos. Now you know too. So .... Consider Yourself Warned!
2 Comments
Veronica Thomas
4/6/2018 03:23:54 am
I can understand those long days, I ran track and was track captain. We could be there as early as 7:00a.m. and as late as 9:00p.m. it depends on how fast the event coordinator were organized. Get prepared for the outdoors bring plenty of water, sunscreen, sun visors, and shades that sun can get brutal.
Reply
SassyGirlTye
4/9/2018 05:19:00 pm
I can't wait for the sun to come out. I would much rather prefer that over the cold. She has another meet Saturday. Hopefully, the weather will be much better.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
SassyGirlTye lives with her two wonderful teenagers in Brooklyn, New York. No matter what she says in her posts, she truly loves her children with all her heart.
|