A Soccer Mom's Survival Guide

Ever thought about how challenging it is to be a soccer mom? Well, you're not alone. Thousands embark on the journey every year of daily soccer practice and weekend journeys to neighboring cities, some more experienced and effective than others. Here are just a few of the most frequently discussed issues that have come up concerning the survival of a soccer mom.

Know the Weather

Depending on where you live in the country, and further the extent to which your children’s team will travel to compete in games, the weather may be dramatically different. One of the aspects of soccer that is unique to other sports is that it is outdoors and will last for a specified length regardless of how the game is being played (two fixed-interval periods). Depending on the location, this can mean up to two hours per game in 110 degree sweltering heat, or likewise the same amount of time in freezing cold temperatures. In order to prepare for this, it is necessary that you ensure your comfortability by not only checking the weather frequently for the game location, but also preparing your attire to suit the occasion. Some more unique items that have been discussed in the past include hand warmers, Lava Buns, and headbands for cold weather environments while sunglasses and neck coolers are more suitable for the warmer temperatures.

Transportation

Eventually every soccer mom realizes that taking the kids to and from the game is just the first part of the story, as multitudes of practice times and post-game parties make a reliable form of transportation a necessity. This is a primary reason why especially soccer moms who have multiple children playing the sport invest in cars like the Kia Sedona, whose sheer size itself gives you the ability to fit more than one soccer star comfortably while transporting them to and from their practices and games.

Seating

While some local venues are better than others, often times youth soccer is played in a setting which is consistent with some sort of youth park, with very limited seating offered if any at all. Thus, unless you are akin to sitting on the grass for two hours at a time, Folding camping chairs are a sideline necessity in the eyes of many. Often times they are relatively cheap, but truly do go a long way in ensuring that you are at least comfortable in watching your child play without having to worry about being the first one at the site to get a good view.

First-Aid Items

While it is generally assumed that it is the responsibility of the coach to ensure the safety of the players during the time they are at games and practices, some are better than others at backing this up. Furthermore, the younger the children are, the more likely that their coach is an ill-equipped father who had to volunteer to coach the team because no one else would and he may be too focused on what is going on on the field in order to deal with a bloody nose or a scraped knee on the sideline. Most of the fundamental items prove necessary at one point or another, such as Band- Aids, Kleenex, and Dermoplast (which, although painful initially, will really go a long way). The availability of First- Aid items also ensures that you are doing anything possible in order to keep your child on the field in a safe manner.

As you can see, the challenges that some face as a soccer mom are more widespread and complex than initially perceived. However with the help of this information and associated guides to survival, the task proves easier by each passing soccer season.