Confession of a retired hockey mom
We knew this day would come eventually.
Our youngest son decided not to participate in travel ice hockey his Senior year. He wanted to focus on school, keep his grades up, and enjoy that last year of high school without traveling cross country.
We are okay with his decision because he’s the one that was playing. But I missed it more than expected.
It felt like I was abruptly fired. Yet relieved in a strange way — there seems to be so much more time in our schedule. And more money in the bank.
Once the new season started, it seemed like I was experiencing withdrawals. No — wait — it was actual withdrawals. For nine years of his life, we were at the rink BEFORE the crack of dawn and many times late into the night. We lived and breathed hockey. With other families. It was (and still is) a close knit community — one big hockey family. We have made friends for life.
How did all this all start? I signed both of my sons up for skating lessons at the local hockey club when they were 7 and 10 years old. My husband warned me that I didn’t know what I was getting the family into. (He’s from Wisconsin and hockey was his sport.)
Our youngest son eventually asked us to let him play travel hockey. We gave in. His nickname quickly became Cutty in the hockey community. Cutty became obsessed with hockey, his natural skills improved with more training.
By the way, our older son didn’t have the same interest in the sport. He was involved with cross country running and track & field (like his mom), and thankfully, his sport rarely conflicted with the hockey schedule.
Cutty’s team won the National USA Hockey Championship for 14-year-olds when they were high school Freshmen. That is an amazing accomplishment, especially for a group of boys from Georgia.
All the players all had to miss a week of school and we gave the school, and all his teachers, a heads-up to get homework assignments, etc. Apparently, if you miss a week of school that is “unexcused,” you can be reported to DFCS. I received a warning letter from DFCS after the high school reported it.
I reminded the Vice Principal that all the boys were representing that state of Georgia and proper notice was…
