I love my children. I love that my children are active

I had almost made it. Children 1 and 2, neither did swim team

When number 3 came along she started down the soccer path traveled by 1 and 2


And somewhere something went wrong. Very. Very wrong


And now I have been sitting on a tennis court since 0530

Between now and when I leave at 1130, 3 will swim in 3 events that will total a minute and a half

Yet I will be here for 5 hours


And these fucking people love this shit. The center of their universe is coming here. I went into the field for a month with less shit than these people lug for their “base camp” (yes they call it that)

I get that I am getting older and am very close to “get off my lawn” status but


THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN WHETHER OR NOT YOU GOT THE PREMIER SPOT ON THE TENNIS COURT FOR YOUR TENT

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And these fucking people love this shit. The center of their universe is coming here. I went into the field for a month with less shit than these people lug for their “base camp” (yes they call it that)

A good percentage are very unhappy parents, living vicariously through their children.

They probably post to social media continuously as well, like there are people watching and waiting for real time updates on the chirrins inevitable success.

I work with a guy and ALL HE TALKS ABOUT is his son's swim meets, and his organization of events and coaching or refereeing or whatever he does. I eat at my desk now because if I'm alone or with another coworker in the cafeteria he will always sit with us and talk about SWIMMING.

I don't care one bit about any of it. I will politely listen (half listening) as he is a coworker and this is his passion and I need to be tolerant. But really....

When I lived in CA, I resided in a town that was totally obsessed with youth swim culture. In fact, when we first moved there, we were approached by neighbors who talked non stop about swim teams. My wife and I avoided it like the plague, luckily my son was into martial arts and target shooting instead.

The worst was when the helicopter parents would paint all sorts of stuff on their car windows and mount shark fins on top of their vehicles, driving around town, honking their horns.

I nap in the truck between events.

Our children didn't do swim team. One did band, that was enough.

When teen/preteen sports become more for the parents than for the children, we have a problem.

We're there.

Used to be, out of town sporting events involved the kids and coach hopping on a bus, going to the town of the event, competing, and coming home. Not so anymore.

Both my children were on the swim team and played tournament tennis. They played college tennis as well. It required a substantial amount of money and time, but the payoff was worth it. I was never one of those parents who lived vicariously through my children although there were plenty of adults that did.

Swimming paid for a bachelors and masters in accounting at a Div1 school for one of my daughters.

Archery parent and coach here, I feel your pain. Thankfully for us, archery tournaments last more than a 1 minute 30 seconds. We've noticed an evolution in parents as their kids progress. They go from watching every single shot through a spotting scope and plotting it on an i-pad when their kid first starts out to sitting in the back and socializing with the other more experienced parents as their kids get better.

For the most part our club's parents are pretty good and chill about things. I honestly think a major reason why is almost everyone to some degree played baseball or swam growing up, few shot a bow and arrow. They really don't know how to coach or get involved. We also have a parents clinic once a year before tournament season starts. We stress their job as a parent is to get their archer to the range and make sure they're fed and watered, be supportive and keep it fun.

Now everything I just said goes out the window whenever it's a USAT tournament or if the tournament is in California. On the recurve side of the field it's all kinds of helicopter parents and coaches that create a distraction for the entire shooting line.

My son does not have a swimmers build, he is a giant kid but he is like a fish in the water. They have asked him to be on the swim team but he has never been interested. I guess maybe it sounds good that he didn't.

I feel your pain. My youngest stepson was on the swim team in high school and college.

I've sat through more than my fair share of 5+ hour swim meets, just to see him swim for a total of a couple minutes.

The best advice I can give you is to just suck it up, and gather a stack of good books. A portable battery pack recharger for your cell phone is another good investment.

And hey, at least you're outside, where you can get some air and move around. A number of the swim meets I've attended were inside jam-packed, sweltering indoor pools, with people packed into the stands like sardines, 100% humidity, and the heaters going full blast. Absolutely miserable.

Damn sure rather have a kid on a swim team than a football team.

This is something I've noticed among my peers that have children that play sports. These parents refer to themselves as "sports parents". I've witnessed breakdowns recently when the children were vocal about not wanting to participate in a sport anymore. Seems to me that the majority of these sports parents are reliving the childhood they wish they would have had, through their kids. Not to mention big money being spent on sport camps and out of state tournament travel every weekend..year round

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This is something I've noticed among my peers that have children that play sports. These parents refer to themselves as "sports parents". I've witnessed breakdowns recently when the children were vocal about not wanting to participate in a sport anymore. Seems to me that the majority of these sports parents are reliving the childhood they wish they would have had, through their kids. Not to mention big money being spent on sport camps and out of state tournament travel every weekend..year round

Very true. Girls playing tennis around the age of 16 are developing other interests. I have witnessed more than one adolescent teen excoriate their mother on the tennis court and announce their imminent retirement. About that time the Mom and her dreams of Wimbledon evaporate. One mother and her daughter had a shoving match at the Country Club. It can get ugly.

I have 3 very active kids. Son #1 is a division 1 basketball recruit. The amount of time I spend at basketball tournaments is obscene

Son #2 is playing for a team next year where every graduating senior this year is going to college on a soccer scholarship I spend an obscene amount of time at soccer fields


But neither soccer nor basketball have parents like swim parents. In both of those you get to the courts or fields for warmups and you get the hell out after. Sure, you become friends and social with the parents, but the social interaction happens away from the event

With swim, the entire event is some weird social construct

My daughter swam at events 11, 29 and 39 today

I don’t understand why I can’t arrive around event 9, go home, come back around event 25, then maybe hang out for 39 and go home

But no. That’s not how it’s done. Your entire day is sucked up by this. Many of these people stay the night before in tents, even though the venue is literally 15 minutes from their homes so they can get “their spot”

And I have to be pleasant. Because a shit ton of their kids are patients of my wife and I don’t want to go bankrupt because I’m grouchy

Sounds like a nightmare. Most people don’t have a hobby or passion in life. Same crowd camps out to buy widgets on Black Friday.

Everyone saw Tiger Woods dad hit the jackpot and figured that’s the ticket to an easy retirement!

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I don’t understand why I can’t arrive around event 9, go home, come back around event 25, then maybe hang out for 39 and go home

Better yet, just fly a drone over the events you want to watch, back in the cheap seats where you and a 12-pack get cozy!

My son enjoyed sports, but the debate team was his passion. He is a very successful attorney today and I couldn't be happier or prouder.