We know what it costs. What is it worth?
We spend the money. Drive the miles. Rearrange our lives. Question our choices.
And then we watch them become a little more themselves.
One email every other Monday about what youth sports ask of families — and why we keep showing up anyway.
Free. One email every other Monday. No coaching from the sidelines.
This is completely insane
- The alarm is set for 4:55am. On a Saturday. Voluntarily.
- There is a folding chair in the trunk that has not come out of the trunk since March.
- One kid has a game. The other kid has a game. They are 41 minutes apart. You have one car.
- You have bought the same size cleat twice because the first pair lasted a season and a half.
And we are going again next weekend.
The math
It isn’t only money.
Money, time, miles, pressure, sacrifice, joy, frustration, logistics, ambition, friendship, growth. Added up by the same two adults in the same car.
None of it adds up neatly. That’s the whole thing.
One weekend
- 3
- practices
- 2
- private lessons
- 1
- tournament
- 347
- miles
- 11
- hours in the car
- 4
- drive-thru meals
- 1
- missed birthday party
- 1
- kid who can't stop talking about the point she finally won
Things we think in the car
- Is it worth it?
- Are we spending too much?
- Are we taking this too seriously?
- Should we push?
- Where is all of this going?
We don’t answer these. We just stopped pretending we weren’t asking them.
Is it worth it?
Some weekends cost more than they give.
Some weekends give back more than they cost.
We have no idea which one this is.
We don’t know. That’s kind of the point.
- She got corrected in public, by someone who isn't you, and kept going.
- She was the worst one in the gym for six weeks and came back on the seventh.
- She wanted something out loud, in front of people, and didn't get it.
- She did one thing she could not do in September.
And then we watch them become a little more themselves.
What lands in your inbox
Every other Monday
- What it costs
- What it takes
- What it gives back
- What nobody says out loud
No advice. No coaching. No ten ways to be a better sports parent.
Every other Monday
“Nobody drives four hours for fun. Fun is a park.”
A three minute read. Free. Unsubscribe in one click.
Your turn
Send us your math.
Not just the receipts. The miles, the hours, the missed birthday party, the thing she said in the car. Whatever your week actually added up to.
Five words
I loved watching you play.
We do the math. They do the hard things.
After the money, the miles, the rankings and the questions, this is usually the only part she remembers you saying.
One email, every other Monday.
One email every other Monday about what youth sports ask of families — and why we keep showing up anyway.
Free. One email every other Monday. No coaching from the sidelines.