Parents Adjusting to preteam

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barcrawler

Proud Parent
My DD started preteam this fall (after about 6 months of rec). She is very excited and LOVES it.
However, I am already stressed out getting her there and it's only 2 days a week! I have to leave work early on gymnastics days and make up the time the next day (which makes for a long day). And then I have other children with activities. My husband helps as much as possible (but he also works full time).
How long does it take to get into some sort of groove? It's been a couple weeks now and I am just exhausted trying to manage. Tell me it gets easier. :)
 
It doesn't get easier but your coping mechanisms will. Like Iwannabemargo said, it actually gets worse. But you will become an authority on making your schedule work and getting everything where it needs to be by the right time.
 
Cbifoja is right. You will eventually adjust and while not easier, you will find a way to make it work. I had a carpool back during pre-team but those families are no longer involved in gymnastics while my DD (and now little sister) are still go, go, go. I am a single mom with a full time job and somehow I have made it work. Other things have had to drop down the priority list (I never feel my house is tidy enough to have guests drop by) and I am always exhausted but we ARE making it work, despite traveling to the gym 6 days each week.
 
Yeah, I don't think it gets any easier but you do find novel ways to make it all work. Not sure what your community resources might be, but in addition to carpools (definitely investigate those), I also found a "children's transportation service" that I use to get my girl to gymnastics on days when practice is in the afternoon (our gym has a different time for each day so that everyone is equally inconvenienced). Seriously, googled it and came up with a company that is two moms who make a business of picking up a child at point A and dropping them at point B. Licensed (as a limo), bonded, ensured, background checked and all. So I pay them $10 a ride to get her from school to the gym, but it means that I don't have to leave work early twice a week. Those are the kinds of things that you might find on your hunt for solutions. And I also gave up on family dinner, which was really, really hard for me to do but it just couldn't be done without everyone eating at 9 at night, which didn't seem worth it. And like Gymmutti said, the house is never clean enough and fewer clothes get ironed these days...
 
I wish - my husband is an attorney in a big firm so clothing expected to be perfect. I'd send shirts out but the budget is already strained by (drumroll) gymnastics. It's one big circle. No wonder my daughter thinks the world revolves around her...
 
Every fall is stressful as we try to adjust to the schedule…but it does become routine…until it changes for summer and then again in the fall…..
 
I wish - my husband is an attorney in a big firm so clothing expected to be perfect. I'd send shirts out but the budget is already strained by (drumroll) gymnastics. It's one big circle. No wonder my daughter thinks the world revolves around her...

The non-iron shirts from Brooks Brothers are pricey, but they really do come out of the dryer without any wrinkles. In 11 years of marriage, I've used an iron maybe twice, and that was for kid clothes. I don't even wash his shirts. He complained once about the way I hung them up, and since then he's done it himself.
 
Oh, he can do them, and does sometimes. But generally he's the one getting our son back and forth from fencing and/or theater practice. It comes down to who can do things fastest and that's how we divide things. He definitely does his share. Thank goodness - this would NEVER work if we didn't split things pretty evenly!
 
We're in the same boat. After a week we gave up trying to bring little sister (2yo) whose bed time is 7:30pm to ds's 6-8pm practice at the gym half an hour away. It is too much for her. We will divide and be conquered. So much for getting to say 'hi' to my spouse, even if it was on bleachers while searching for mickey mouse clubhouse on my phone. We did manage to complete a few sentences in two hours. This means that on gym days we see each other twice for about 10 minutes, which is more than on the days I go into the office. :confused: On the bright side, ds eats dinner before he goes to gym and again after he gets home! I really hope we can work out a carpool at some point. I need the extra time to grocery shop.:p
 
The non-iron shirts from Brooks Brothers are pricey, but they really do come out of the dryer without any wrinkles. In 11 years of marriage, I've used an iron maybe twice, and that was for kid clothes. I don't even wash his shirts. He complained once about the way I hung them up, and since then he's done it himself.

Those brooks bros shirts are a holy miracle!!
 
@barcrawler ... if you can't carpool or have a children's transportation service in the area, what about hiring a "mother's helper" or babysitter (one that drives and is 18, preferably) to transport?
I know of a girl that transports 2-3 girls to activities and only charges $8 per trip per FAMILY (more if it involves leaving town)... and they say it is worth it!
 
Back to school is by far the most difficult in our house. With 4 little ones all doing something, I am taxiMom! We do many dinners and homework in the car. It becomes a routine and by spring it's second nature.
 
Thanks for the suggestions/advice. I am trying to meet some of the other preteam moms, so maybe carpooling will be an option in the future. It is just so hard to tell which kids go with which parents when there are 50-75 (100?) kids (team and rec) coming and going.

Once we are over the back to school hump, maybe I will feel less overwhelmed.
 
We pretty much demanded coach set up some way for parents to reach others. One mom volunteered to set up a shutterfly account for the team. Invitation only and password protected but it had a team roster with contact info, an all-team message board plus meet schedule and posted pictures. At least ask about a team roster - even if you have to volunteer to put it together.
 

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